HOUSTON (AP) – A death row inmate who slipped out of a Texas jail last week wearing street clothes was captured Sunday as he talked on a pay phone in Shreveport, La., about 200 miles away, authorities said.

Charles Victor Thompson had a bicycle with him when Shreveport police, acting on a tip, approached him around 8 p.m. Sunday, Harris County Sheriff’s Lt. John Martin said.

“He was standing in front of a liquor store and appeared to be intoxicated,” Martin said.

When the officers asked his name, he said “You know who I am,” then he identified himself as Charles Thompson, Martin said.

Martin wouldn’t discuss the tip that lead to Thompson’s arrest and said authorities were still trying to determine exactly how Thompson got from Houston to Louisiana and if he had help in his escape. A $10,000 reward had been offered for information leading to his capture.

Thompson, 35, is scheduled to be in court today in Shreveport, and if he waives extradition, he will be returned to Texas immediately, Martin said.

Thompson was convicted in 1999 for the shooting deaths a year earlier of his ex-girlfriend, Dennise Hayslip and her new boyfriend, Darren Keith Cain. An appeals court threw out his sentence, but on Oct. 28, another jury sentenced him to death.

On Thursday, Thompson was in the Harris County Jail awaiting transfer to a state prison when he was taken to a room for a meeting with an attorney, though not his attorney of record, authorities said.

After the attorney left, Thompson was alone. Somehow, he removed his handcuffs, changed out of his bright orange prison jumpsuit into the clothes he wore during his sentencing, and got out of the prisoner’s booth in the visiting room, authorities said.

Using a falsified ID badge, he got past at least four jail employees and walked out of the building.

Martin had said Friday that Thompson’s escape resulted from “multiple errors” by jail personnel.

He said the attorney who had met with Thompson was not believed to have been involved in the escape.

The escape frightened his victim’s relatives, who were notified by authorities and given police protection. Prosecutors had earlier accused Thompson of trying to hire hit men to kill witnesses against him, as well as members of Hayslip’s family.

Hayslip’s mother, Wynona Donaghy, said Sunday night that she was extremely relieved after hearing of the arrest and finally felt safe returning to her home again.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.