Victims’ relatives in hiding after killer escapes
Convicted killer Charles Victor Thompson is at large after fooling at least four jail employees when he walked out of the Harris County Jail in Texas on Thursday.
Sheriff’s spokesman John Martin yesterday said: “This was 100% human error; that’s the most frustrating thing. There were multiple failures. There were several points where it could have been prevented.”
Chief Deputy Danny Billingsley said: “We’re going to find out what happened and we’re going to fix it.”
Mr Martin said investigators were trying to determine if he had inside help.
Several relatives of Thompson’s victims - his ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend - have reportedly gone into hiding or agreed to police protection.
Thompson was condemned to death in 1999 for shooting dead a year earlier Dennise Hayslip, 39, and Darren Keith Cain, 30. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ordered he be resentenced and on October 28 a fresh jury again recommended death. Thompson was being held in the county jail pending his transfer back to prison.
Ms Hayslip’s mother, Wynona Donaghy, said: “He can make people believe he is the most innocent man in the world. If somebody is helping him, they don’t realise how dangerous he is.”
People who served on the resentencing jury have said they were worried after hearing about the escape.
Cathy Lange said: “I went all over the house making sure all the windows were locked.”
On Thursday, Thompson claimed he had an appointment with his lawyer. But the visitor was not Thompson’s attorney, and that person is now being questioned. After the visitor left, Thompson removed his handcuffs and bright orange prison jumpsuit and got out of a prisoner’s booth that should have been locked.
He then left wearing a dark blue shirt, khaki trousers and white tennis shoes, carrying a fake identification badge and claiming to work for the Texas Attorney General’s office.
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