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Skylar Meade and Nicholas Umphenour Captured

Skylar Meade and Nicholas Umphenour the two wanted men from Idaho have been captured and are suspected of killing two people during their prison escape

According to police reports Skylar Meade and Nicholas Umphenour planned a prison break from a hospital in which Skylar was being treated when Nicholas would open fire in the emergency room which allowed Meade to escape. Three Idaho correctional officers would be shot and wounded

Skylar Meade and Nicholas Umphenour would make their way to Northern Idaho where police believe they would murder two men in two different counties

Skylar Meade was serving a twenty year prison sentence at the time of the escape

Skylar Meade and Nicholas Umphenour would be taken into custody where they face a host of charges

Skylar Meade and Nicholas Umphenour News

An escaped inmate and his alleged accomplice, both members of a white supremacist gang, were arrested in Twin Falls, Idaho, on Thursday afternoon after a massive manhunt.

Inmate Skylar Meade escaped from a medical center in Boise early Wednesday morning after Nicholas Umphenour allegedly opened fire on corrections officers who were taking Meade back to prison.

The suspects were located in the Twin Falls area at around 2 p.m. local time Thursday, Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar said at a news conference. After a short vehicle pursuit, the suspects were taken into custody separately. No shots were fired.

Two homicides committed in the last 24 hours in Idaho are being investigated as possibly linked to the suspects, Idaho State Police Lt. Colonel Sheldon Kelley said. The suspects were found driving a Honda Civic that police said belonged to one of the victims.

The homicide victims, both men, were discovered in separate counties — one in Nez Perce and one in Clearwater, the city of Boise disclosed in a press release Thursday afternoon

Once Umphenour was identified as a potential suspect, investigators looked into his connections to Meade, Josh Tewalt, director of the state’s Department of Correction, said at Thursday’s conference

In addition to both being documented members of the white supremacist gang the Aryan Knights, the two men had both periodically lived in the same housing unit in the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, where Umphenour was in custody from December 2020 to January 2024, officials said. They also shared common acquaintances both in and out of custody.

Tewalt said that the suspects’ gang involvement didn’t necessarily indicate that the escape was a “gang-sanctioned event,” adding that the department was monitoring the Aryan Knights in prison “to mitigate the damage that gangs can do.”

“Independent of their actions, we work hard every day to try and disrupt any organized criminal activity that happens in our facilities,” Tewalt said Thursday.

“Law enforcement believes the capture was successful due to the hundreds of tips from the public and the multiple responding law enforcement agencies,” the city of Boise said in its press release

Meade engaged in “self-injurious” behavior Tuesday night, after which officers determined he needed to be transferred off-site for care, Tewalt said on Wednesday.

Umphenour attacked and fired at two officers at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center at around 2:15 a.m. Wednesday, officials said. A third person, later determined to be a corrections officer, was shot by responding Boise police officers.

One of the injured corrections officers was released from the hospital Wednesday evening, while the two other injured officers remain hospitalized, Tewalt said Thursday.

“They are stable, improving, and I think with today’s news their spirits are lifted,” Tewalt said, calling the incident a “tough ordeal for corrections family.”

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/escaped-inmate-skylar-meade-nicholas-umphenour-arrested-manhunt-idaho/

Skylar Meade and Nicholas Umphenour More News

The escaped convict and alleged accomplice sought in an Idaho manhunt are now accused of killing two people while they were on the run, authorities said Thursday.

Skylar Meade and Nicholas Umphenour were arrested after being accused of an ambush and shooting at a hospital Wednesday that injured three officers, Boise police said at a press conference.

Boise Police Department Chief Ron Winegar said the two are considered suspects in two northern Idaho homicides of two men who were found dead “rural Idaho, not inside of city limits.”

Officers also found the handcuffs Meade escaped in at the scene.

Police found the vehicle Meade and Umphenour used to escape in northern Idaho, the chief said. He added that the duo fled the area in a different vehicle.

“The motive and why they did what they did, I don’t know,” Winegar said.

Meade fled the Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, about three miles west of the state capital’s downtown area, before two state corrections officers prepared to take him back to prison. Umphenour opened fire in front of the emergency room early Wednesday morning, the Boise Police Department reported.

Meade is a convicted felon who escaped serving a 20-year prison sentence for assault or battery with an enhancement for use of a deadly weapon from a 2017 shooting, IDOC records show. While fleeing from a traffic stop amidst a police chase, he fired several shots at a law enforcement officer.

Meade, who officials described as a white supremacist gang member, also had prior convictions from felony possession of a controlled substance and grand theft to introduction of contraband into a correctional facility. His incarceration began in October 2016 with his most recent sentence set to end in 2036.

Umphenour is considered an Meade’s accomplice and associate, detectives said

Police did not release Umphenour’s age or clarify whether he has a local criminal history.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2024/03/21/skylar-meade-nicholas-umphenour-escape-double-murder-investigation/73061056007/

Ricky Allen Dubose Georgia Death Row

Ricky Allen Dubose was sentenced to death by the State of Georgia for the murders of two prison guards during an escape. According to court documents Ricky Allen Dubose and Donnie Rowe were able to slip out of their handcuffs while being transported by prison employees. Ricky Allen Dubose would grab an officer’s gun and open fire killing correctional guards Curtis Billue and Christopher Monica. Ricky Allen Dubose and Donnie Rowe would be arrested in Tennessee and extradited back to Georgia to stand trial for the double murder. Donnie Rowe would be ultimately sentenced to life in prison without parole. Ricky Allen Dubose would be ultimately sentenced to death. Shortly after he was sentenced Ricky Allen Dubose would take his own life

Ricky Allen Dubose More News

Ricky Allen “Juvie” Dubose is the latest inmate in Georgia to be sentenced to death for the crime of murder.

Dubose shot to death Georgia Department of Corrections Sgt. Curtis Bernard Billue and Sgt. Christopher James Monica during an escape from a state prison transport bus on June 13,2017, in Putnam County.

A jury of six men and six women from Glynn County deliberated nearly three hours Thursday afternoon before returning a unanimous verdict of death against the 29-year-old condemned killer in Putnam County Superior Court in Eatonton.

The double-death sentence, plus 20 years, was imposed against Dubose by Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge Alison T. Burleson shortly before 3:30 p.m.

The judge reviewed the verdict of the jurors and then told them, along with the five alternate jurors, that they were allowed to stay in the courtroom for the sentencing procedure or they could leave and board a mini-bus back to Glynn County. All 17 jurors opted to leave the courtroom with the thanks of the court for their service.

Dubose stood with Georgia Capital Defender Attorneys Amber Pittman, Nathanael Studelska, Gerald “Jerry” Word and Shayla Galloway, as Burleson imposed the punishment against him. As was the case throughout the trial, Dubose showed no emotion.

Jurors deliberating Dubose’s fate determined there were aggravated circumstances related to the murders of the officers. They both worked in the transportation hub at Baldwin State Prison near Milledgeville. Both men also lived in Baldwin County.

Evidence presented during the 10-day murder trial revealed that Dubose is a member of the Ghost Face Gangsters, a criminal gang that operates in and out of Georgia prisons.

While family members of the slain officers received the justice they had been seeking for their loved ones, others in the courtroom, including his wife, could be seen crying for Dubose. The couple reportedly married some time ago while Dubose awaited trial in the five-year-old double-murder case.

Members of the Billue and Monica families embraced several people who joined them in the courtroom gallery to support them. Many of them included employees and officials from the Georgia Department of Corrections, as well as church groups, victim advocates from the district attorney’s office, along with District Attorney T. Wright Barksdale III, Chief Assistant District Attorney Allison Mauldin, Assistant District Attorney Blyne May and Putnam County Sheriff Howard R. Sills.

Dubose, who had worn dress slacks, a long sleeve dress shirt and a necktie every day of his trial, was immediately handcuffed after sentencing. He then met briefly with his defense team and was then told to change from his dress clothes into white inmate prison garb before he was placed into the rear seat of a patrol car and taken back to the Georgia Special Management Unit (SMU) prison near Jackson.

He now is among more than 40 men and one woman on death row in Georgia.

https://www.unionrecorder.com/news/dubose-sentenced-to-death-in-17-slayings/article_99c79a7e-ee3f-11ec-9149-036dae339bc9.html

Ricky Allen Dubose Suicide

A 29-year-old man has died behind bars more than a week after he was sentenced to death for murdering two prison guards in Georgia

Ricky Allen Dubose hanged himself, a local law enforcement official said, according to The Union-Recorder.

“He committed suicide,” Putnam County Sheriff Howard R. Sill told the outlet. “The suicide could be done about as quick as it took for him to murder Billue and Monica. It doesn’t take long to do It. If somebody is going to do it, it can happen in a matter of seconds.”

The sheriff said he confirmed Dubose’s death with Georgia Department of Corrections personnel. The agency did not specify a cause of death in a press release issued Sunday.

“On June 26, at approximately 4:45 p.m., Correctional Officers found inmate Ricky Dubose (GDC#1000492869) unresponsive in his cell,” officials said. “Emergency Medical Services were called and life saving measures were performed. Dubose was pronounced deceased by the coroner at the facility at 5:56 p.m. GDC, in conjunction with the GBI is conducting an investigation into the death, as standard procedure.”

Dubose’s defense mourned for him, said a member of the team.

“This is extremely devastating to all of us, even though I’d only known Ricky closely for about a year,” attorney Gerald “Jerry” Word told The Union-Recorder. “Amber Pittman and Nathanael Studelska had gotten to know him for five years. And Shayla Galloway had gotten to know him well, too.”

Dubose and fellow inmate Donnie Rowe overpowered two prison guards — officers Curtis Billue and Christopher Monica — on a prison transport bus in June 2017. Dubose took one of their guns, and fatally shot them. He and Rowe fled after carjacking a nearby driver, reaching Tennessee. They held a couple hostage, tied them up, took their valuables and clothes, and threatened them to keep quiet, Bedford County Sheriff Austin Swing said at the time, according to The Associated Press. But the fugitives ultimately surrendered. Law enforcement said they gave themselves up not to officials, but to a local man.

“I realized I had two ex-cons wanted for murder who had just shot at law enforcement who had nothing to lose and for some reason they surrendered and laid down on the concrete in my driveway,” Patrick Hale told the AP at the time. “If that doesn’t make you believe in Jesus Christ, I don’t know what does.”

Although both men separately went to trial and were convicted, Dubose was the one who received the death penalty as the actual gunman. Rowe received a sentence of life in prison without parole. Dubose’s attorneys argued in court that Rowe was the one directing their client’s actions, and that their client was intellectually disabled.

“Ricky did shoot at people, Ricky did,” attorney Gabrielle Pittman said, according to WMAZ. “But you know who was driving, you know who put the gun in his hands, you know who told him to hang out the window and shoot? That was Donnie.”

Prosecutor T. Wright Barksdale called Dubose “an intelligent, calculated criminal,” however.

Billue and Monica’s families welcomed the verdict and sentence against Dubose.

“The closure that the judicial system has brought to us has given us great hope because I know the next step is going to be healing,” Curtis’ sister Denise Billue said, according to WMAZ in a June 16 report. “We know that we will never move on without Curt, but we will move forward.”

“I’m extremely grateful for everybody involved in making this happen and getting justice for my dad,” Christopher’s daughter Zoey Monica said. “I’m just excited about getting to finally feel some sort of peace with everything.”

Georgia Inmate Hanged Himself After Being Sentenced to Death for Murdering Two Prison Guards: Sheriff

Wanted Gonzalo Lopez Reward $22500 For Capture

Everyone in Texas is searching for missing inmate Gonzalo Lopez and the reward for his capture has been increased to $22,500. According to police reports Gonzalo Lopez, who was serving a life sentence for capital murder and attempted capital murder was being transported on a Texas Department Of Criminal Justice bus when he was able to get out of hiss restraints and stab the bus driver in the head. Another correctional guard would fire his weapon at Gonzalo Lopez however it is not known if he was hit. The bust would crash into a ditch and Gonzalo Lopez would flee and has not been seen since however all bets are pointing to him attempting to get to Mexico. Texas police are reminding the public that Gonzalo Lopez is extremely dangerous and has nothing to lose.

Gonzalo Lopez More News

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) wrote Friday that a $22,500 reward is being offered for information leading to the capture of escaped inmate Gonzalo Lopez.

A manhunt is currently underway for Lopez, 46, who was convicted of murder and escaped from a prison bus after stabbing a correctional officer during a Thursday transport.

In a Saturday Facebook post, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office said that while they have no reason to believe he had left the area,” there is no evidence to support that, at this time.”

“Inmate Gonzalo Lopez is still not captured. We have no reason to believe he has left the area, there Hwy 7 between Robbins [and] Centerville is still shut down, please avoid the area as much as you can. We have multiple [agencies] working together to get Lopez back in custody,” the office wrote.

People who live in the search area are instructed to keep all doors locked on houses, buildings and vehicles.

Lopez – who was one of 16 prisoners on the bus – was reportedly able to remove his constraints before using an unknown object to stab the bus driver in the hand, according to Fox 26.

The station said the officer struggled with Lopez to keep him from getting his gun and that another officer fired shots at him – but it remains unknown is Lopez was hit. The bus crashed into a ditch and the other inmates were not injured.

Lopez was wearing a white jail-issued uniform when he escaped, according to the sheriff’s office.

Jason Clark, chief of staff for the TDCJ, told the Associated Press that the bus driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries,

Fox 26 said Lopez was last seen heading across a cow pasture west of Centerville.

Lopez was serving a life sentence for capital murder and attempted capital murder. He was convicted in 2006 of killing a man along the Texas-Mexico border.

Prison records show Lopez was most recently being held at a lockup in Gatesville.

People who see something suspicious should call the sheriff’s office at (903) 536-2749, contact TDCJ OIG CRIME STOPPERS at 1-800-832-8477 or 936-437-5171 or call 911.

Authorities say to not approach Lopez.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/texas-authorities-reward-escaped-killer-gonzalo-lopez?yptr=yahoo

Charles Thompson Texas Death Row

Charles Thompson was sentenced to death by the State of Texas for the murders of a couple. According to court documents Charles Thompson would murder his ex girlfriend and her new boyfriend. Charles Thompson would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death. While being resentenced Charles Thompson was able to escape from the courtroom and would not be recaptured for four days.

Charles Thompson 2022 Information

SID Number: 06086759

TDCJ Number: 00999306

Name: THOMPSON,CHARLES VICTOR

Race: W

Gender: M

Age: 51

Maximum Sentence Date: DEATH ROW

Current Facility: POLUNSKY

Projected Release Date: DEATH ROW

Parole Eligibility Date: DEATH ROW

Inmate Visitation Eligible: YES

Charles Thompson More News

Condemned killer Charles Victor Thompson’s three-day run to freedom ended on a bicycle Sunday night in front of a liquor store in Shreveport, La., police said.

The Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force got a tip Sunday that led Shreveport police and the U.S. Marshals Service to the 200 block of 70th Street, where officers saw a man they thought to be Thompson on a bicycle talking on a pay phone in front of the liquor store about 8:02 p.m. When asked to identify himself, the man replied, “You know who I am.”

Asked again, he responded, “My name is Charles Thompson.”

Thompson, 35, appeared to be intoxicated, and police said they did not know who he was talking to on the phone. He was arrested and booked into the Caddo Parish Jail, where he will be held until he can be returned to Texas, said Lt. John Martin of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. A court hearing is expected to occur today in Shreveport.

The arrest ended a massive manhunt that began midafternoon Thursday when Thompson, under a death sentence for the 1998 murders of his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend, slipped away from the Harris County Jail at 1200 Baker. The inmate, who was awaiting transfer to death row, had gotten loose from handcuffs, slipped into street clothes and convinced jailers that he was a state investigator.

The multiagency manhunt was led by federal fugitive trackers at the Marshals Service through the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force.

Marianne Matus, spokeswoman for the Houston office of the U.S. Marshals Service, said Thompson was charged on Friday afternoon with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

The charge sometimes is used by federal authorities to avoid extradition delays if a fugitive has left the state. The federal charge allows a bypass of normal extradition proceedings between state jurisdictions proceedings.

She said the search involved numerous leads in Texas and elsewhere.

Thompson, who spent six years on death row, was back in Houston after the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that his rights were violated during sentencing in his 1999 trial. A jury here last month sentenced him again to death for the shooting deaths of Hayslip, who was from Tomball, and Cain, of Spring.

Thursday afternoon, after visiting with an attorney authorities have declined to identify, Thompson changed from his jail garb into khaki pants and a dark shirt he apparently kept after the court appearance.

He slipped out of the visitor’s booth, leaving behind his jail uniform and handcuffs. Investigators have not determined how he got out of the cuffs. He then talked his way out of the building, telling deputies he was a state investigator.

Sheriff’s spokesman Martin said Saturday that human error — and likely a little help from some unknown person — made Thompson’s getaway possible.

Matus said the Marshals Service put extraordinary resources into tracking Thompson.

https://www.usmarshals.gov/investigations/most_wanted/thompson.htm

Bobby Phillips Alabama Death Row

Bobby Phillips was sentenced to death and remains on Alabama death row for a murder committed during a prison escape. According to court documents Bobby Phillips and Oscar Doster would escape from the Covington County Jail and during their reign of terror would shoot and kill Paul LeMaster. Bobby Phillips would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death. Oscar Doster was also sentenced to death

Bobby Phillips 2021 Information

Inmate:	PHILLIPS, BOBBY O’LEE
AIS:	0000Z740

Institution:	HOLMAN PRISON

Oscar Doster 2021 Information

Inmate:	DOSTER, OSCAR ROY
AIS:	0000Z731

Institution:	HOLMAN PRISON

Bobby Phillips More News

On Friday, the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the 2007 capital murder conviction of Bobby O’Lee Phillips. The Court’s unanimous decision was returned in a 172-page opinion.

Phillips was convicted of multiple crimes committed with Oscar Roy Doster following their Nov. 4, 2002, escape from the Covington County Jail. The most serious of these offenses was the shooting death of Paul LeMaster. For that shooting, Phillips, who confessed to being the “trigger man,” was convicted of three counts of capital murder and was sentenced to death following a 12-0 jury vote. Circuit Judge Charles “Lex” Short upheld and imposed the jury’s decision to punish Phillips with the death sentence.

District Attorney Greg Gambril said that he is “obviously pleased” with the Court’s result.

Gambril said that he had no doubt that Phillips would appeal to the Alabama Supreme Court.

Gambirl said the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals is still considering Oscar Roy Doster’s case even though it was tried before Phillips’ case.

Gambril also said that, according to the Texas Attorney General’s Office, Oscar Roy Doster’s capital murder trial in that state is set to begin jury selection in late July. Doster was charged with murder in the death of Dennis Courtney in Fairfield, Texas, following a second escape from the Covington County Jail.

Appellate court upholds Phillips’ conviction