Prison escape ringleader sentenced to death

The ringleader of one of the biggest prison escapes in Texas history was sentenced to death by a court in Dallas yesterday for killing a police officer while on the run last year.

George Rivas is the first of seven escapees to be tried for shooting the policeman on December 24th following a mass prison break-out.

Defence lawyers had argued that he never meant to kill the officer, but Rivas himself urged jurors to sentence him to death.

“What you call the death penalty, I call freedom,” he said. “I can finally be free. I’m telling you right now I don’t want another life sentence.”