Disguised in stolen civilian clothing, the escapees made their way to the prison gate where they pretended to install video monitors before raiding the guard tower and seizing numerous weapons. They then stole the maintenance truck and drove away.
The prisoner's first robbed a Radio Shack in Pearland by breaking through the outside wall, tying the safe to the truck, and pulling it out. Later they robbed Oshman's Sporting Store in Irving by holding up the store at gunpoint. When Aubrey Hawkins, a local police officer, arrived at the scene, he was almost immediately shot dead. Due to the wide-publicity that the escape received, Wayne Holder was able to recognize and report to authorities that the group of seven escapees were staying at his RV Park in Woodland Park, Colorado.
Almost immediately, three of the escapees were caught by the Colorado Springs SWAT Team. Shortly thereafter two more were found in the RV where one surrendered peacefully while the other shot himself dead. On January 23, 2001, the authorities received information that the final two escapees were hiding out at a hotel in Colorado Springs. After some negotiation, an agreement was reached that would allow Newbury and Murphy to make a live television appearance prior to their arrest. During the interview, the two inmates...
George Rivas, the alleged ringleader, was extradited to Texas and sentenced to death. The other surviving members have also been put on death row and still wait for their death by lethal injection.
The book's conclusion gives a subtle acknowledgement to the escapees premise of the unfairness and corruption of the Texas Judicial system. Without glorifying or endorsing the horrendous murders and crimes that occurred both before and during the escape, the author is able to focus on the escape and present the true story of not only what happened, but why it happened.
A thoroughly enjoyed this book. I recall watching the news and reading the articles in newspapers and on the Internet, I assumed I knew all there was to know about this incident. However, after reading this book I realized how much more was at play, especially behind the scenes, in regards to the escape. Instead of just a pointless prison break, by getting to understand the prisoner's reasoning, the act itself takes on a new and symbolic…
