Apparently It's Very Easy to Escape Death Row . . .

[Butch]

http://us.cnn.com/2005/LAW/11/04/inmate.escapes/index.html

Convicted killer dons street clothes, escapes from jail

(CNN) -- A Texas death row inmate escaped from the Harris County Jail in Houston on Thursday, dressed in civilian clothes and carrying identification indicating he worked in the attorney general's office, a sheriff's department spokesman said.

Charles Victor Thompson, 35, was convicted of capital murder in April 1999 in the shooting deaths of his former girlfriend, Dannise Hayslip, and her friend, Darren Cain, 30.

The convict, who was re-sentenced to death Monday, slipped out of the jail around 3:30 p.m., wearing khaki pants, a dark blue shirt and white tennis shoes, according to sheriff's Lt. John Martin.

"He also had sort of a tag or an ID that indicated he was with the attorney general's office," Martin said.

He said he didn't know whether Thompson escaped on foot or in a vehicle.

"We definitely believe him to be dangerous," Martin told CNN Thursday night.

Thompson had been released from his cell block for a visit with his attorney in a private booth, where Plexiglas separates inmates from attorneys, Martin said.

The room is not monitored by authorities and no deputies are present in the room -- an effort to protect attorney-client privilege. Only a few sheets of paper could be slipped under the window, he said.

"He managed to change out of the orange jumpsuit that inmates commonly wear," Martin said. "The inmate jumpsuit was found in the attorney booth."

It was not immediately clear whether Thompson had had an attorney visit him on Thursday, or whether he had merely gone to the area on the pretense of seeing his lawyer.

Thompson went from the attorney booth to the floor's control center, where he told a deputy that he was conducting an investigation with the attorney general's office, Martin said.

"He was convincing enough that he was able to convince one of our deputies to let him out of the facility," he said.

When did authorities realize a death row inmate had simply walked out their doors?

"We realized it almost immediately," he said. "This was obviously something that was pre-planned."

The new sentencing hearing was ordered by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which had upheld Thompson's conviction.

Martin said Thompson was brought to the county jail in May, and it was unclear when he would have been returned to the Department of Corrections and death row.

The Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force was aiding the search.

Martin said it had been several years since anyone escaped from the jail.

"This is extremely rare, especially for someone who has been sentenced to death on a capital murder charge."

[cheapchinese]

they should give him a job to work for the 00 org :)

[nickel]

that's nuts :gle:

[ialsohaveadream]

Isn't that kinda what Michael Myers did? Only replace "death row" with "mental institution". :)

[tupacboy]

lol... man the show "prison break" makes its seem so much harder...

[KIISQueen]

That Is Ruthless!!!!!!!

[Grimm]

He didn't escape from Death Row, he escaped from jail. Death Row is a place. He wasn't there when he wandered off.

Interestingly, in Texas Death Row is fairly nice. It is still concrete and metal, but the convicts keep it nice because they will be living there 10 to 15 years in most cases. The convicts are polite to each other and the guards. Because the guards might be asked what type of inmate they are in a clemmancy hearing. The other convicts are all capable of killing them if they are too troublesome, so they all make at least a minimal effort to get along.
The guards know the convicts have nothing to lose, so as long as they aren't causing trouble they are pretty much left alone until there is a problem. Not that they don't get searched or locked up all the time, but that's just a normal part of prison life. Additionaly, the guards are all very experienced and as such are fairly laid back.

[Butch]

Bah . . . quit being so damn literal. While in some prisons, there may physical space called "death row," . . . the term "death row" is often used as a descriptor for a situation - similar to "skid row" . . . :P

[zenbooty]

Bah . . . quit being so damn literal. While in some prisons, there may physical space called "death row," . . . the term "death row" is often used as a descriptor for a situation - similar to "skid row" . . . :P
Be careful, if I'm not mistaken Grimm was a prison guard at some point in time. Probably knows what he's talking about.

[Grimm]

Be careful, if I'm not mistaken Grimm was a prison guard at some point in time. Probably knows what he's talking about.
You are correct. In Texas a reffernce to Death Row is refering to one wing of the Ellis unit in Huntsville Texas, unless they have moved it sometime in the past decade.

[Butch]

:shrug: Doesn't change that the term "Death Row" is used colloquially to refer to a situation rather than a specific location.

The guy escaped from the situation of having been sentenced to death.

I don't care where he was physically - he escaped a sentence that should not be so easily escapable.

[Grimm]

:shrug: Doesn't change that the term "Death Row" is used colloquially to refer to a situation rather than a specific location.

The guy escaped from the situation of having been sentenced to death.

I don't care where he was physically - he escaped a sentence that should not be so easily escapable.
He hasn't escaped the sentence. He has merely escaped from jail. Texas has a reputation of hunting down escapees. They never stop looking untill they have you back in custody. If you are dead and burried, they will dig you back up, verify the identity of the corpse, and reburry you at a prison. I am not kidding. Doesn't matter where you go or how long it has been. They keep looking.

And while you have an opinion on the matter that differs, in Texas death row is a place, like Disneyland is a place (but the mice are smaller).

[Butch]

He hasn't escaped the sentence. He has merely escaped from jail. Texas has a reputation of hunting down escapees. They never stop looking untill they have you back in custody. If you are dead and burried, they will dig you back up, verify the identity of the corpse, and reburry you at a prison. I am not kidding. Doesn't matter where you go or how long it has been. They keep looking.

I have no doubt that they'll find him and he will ultimately be punished for his crime . . .

[zenbooty]

:shrug: Doesn't change that the term "Death Row" is used colloquially to refer to a situation rather than a specific location. Sure, but the phrase "escaped death row" in the article gives the impression that this guy was in a maximum lockdown location when he escaped, when in fact he was not. Its very likely he should have been, though. So that's where the criticism should focus.


The article could have described it better
The guy escaped from the situation of having been sentenced to death. 'zactly

[baggio248]

He made is 200 miles in 3 days. No way he took a bike.

HOUSTON - A convicted double-murderer who spent three days on the run after slipping away from a Houston jail was recaptured some 200 miles away — drunk and talking on a pay phone.

Police acting on a tip Sunday found Charles Victor Thompson, 35, standing outside a liquor store in Shreveport, La., said Harris County Sheriff’s Lt. John Martin.

“You know who I am,” Thompson told officers when asked his name. Asked again, he identified himself as Charles Thompson, Martin said. Police said Thompson was too drunk to be interrogated Sunday night.

The arrest ended a massive manhunt for Thompson, who was convicted in 1999 for the shooting deaths a year earlier of his ex-girlfriend, Dennise Hayslip, 39, and her boyfriend, Darren Keith Cain, 30.

“He never should have got out,” Martin said. “To have him back in custody again, this is where he belongs. He was convicted of capital murder. He was twice sentenced to death. There is no scenario under which he should be free roaming around on the street.”

Shreveport city Jail Supervisor Barry Newton said Thompson had been booked on charges of being a fugitive from the U.S. Marshals Service and a fugitive from Harris County. He was scheduled to appear before a magistrate Monday in Shreveport.

Smuggled clothing, fake ID
Thompson was sentenced to death Oct. 28 and was being held in the county jail until he could be transferred to a prison in Livingston, about 75 miles to the northeast.

Thompson escaped from custody Thursday using a smuggled set of clothes and a fake identification badge to get past guards. His escape resulted from “multiple errors” by jail personnel, Martin has said.

Marshals designated Thompson a federal fugitive in order to use its resources to find him and offered a $10,000 reward for his capture. Jurors and victims’ relatives feared for their safety.

When he was arrested, Thompson had a bicycle, but it was unclear how he got to Shreveport, Martin said. Authorities did not know who he was talking to on the phone.

Even though Thompson’s arrest was very important, it was only a small part of the ongoing investigation into how he managed to escape the county jail, said Steve Tiller with the U.S. Marshals Service.

On Thursday afternoon, Thompson was taken to a room in the jail for a meeting with his attorney. The visitor, however, was not Thompson’s attorney of record, Terrence Gaiser, although investigators have determined the other person was an attorney, Martin said. His name has not been released because he is considered a witness.

After the attorney left, Thompson was alone in the room and he managed to remove his handcuffs and his bright orange prison jumpsuit and put on a dark blue shirt, khaki pants and white tennis shoes. Authorities believe those were the clothes Thompson wore during his sentencing and say he somehow smuggled them back to his cell.

Wearing his new outfit, Thompson left the prisoner’s booth in the visiting room and waved a fake ID badge that wasn’t scrutinized as he passed at least four jail employees at work stations. Thompson was eventually let into the jail’s visitor’s lobby and from there he walked out of the building and into the street.

'Not the sharpest pencil'
“There’s no way Chuck had the brain power for this,” said John Donaghy, whose sister Thompson was convicted of killing. “He’s not the sharpest pencil in the box.”

Donaghy said he and his family felt a sense of relief when they learned of the capture. The family has spent the past few days hiding in hotels and staying with friends in other parts of the state.

“My family can now go back to a normal living. They have been totally disrupted,” he said.

Authorities think somebody helped him escape, Martin said. “We do think that people helped him if for no other reason than we found his clothes back behind another jail facility,” he said.

Donaghy said he expected Thompson would have been caught in Mexico, not Louisiana.

“I figured he had enough common sense to stay hidden for a while,” he said. “It’s just ridiculous that he got out.”

[tupacboy]

wow... what an idiot...