Inmate who escaped spectacularly kills family with three children in Texas | Abroad

All alarm bells went off when five dead were found in a Centerville home last night. According to CBS News, one adult, one minor and three younger children were involved. Immediately they looked in the direction of Lopez. After all, the dangerous criminal had escaped in that neighborhood three weeks earlier, a manhunt had so far yielded nothing.

Authorities are now convinced that Lopez broke into the holiday home. The relatives, who live in Houston themselves, were seen alive on Thursday morning. At 6 p.m. they turned out to be murdered. The identities of the victims are unknown at this time.

Lopez made off with their clothes, weapons and a white 1999 Chevrolet Silverado. “We won’t rest until we catch him,” Justice Department spokesman Jason Clark said at a news conference.

The breakthrough came not much later: officers saw the stolen pickup truck drive past in Jourdanton (a village 350 kilometers from Centerville; ed.), after which colleagues laid out a nail mat. With four flat tires, Lopez was trapped like a rat. In a desperate attempt he fired on the police, but in that hail of bullets he was shot dead himself.

On May 12, Lopez had spectacularly escaped from the cage of a prison bus. He then had an appointment with the doctor, but took the opportunity to get rid of his hand and ankle cuffs. How he managed to do that is still unclear.

Lopez then broke open the metal cage and attacked the driver. The latter was stabbed in the hand and chest.

Finally, the criminal himself drove away by bus. However, he did not get very far because a colleague of the driver had blown the rear tire. Lopez eventually sprinted into the woods, after which he was never heard from again. Fortunately, the fifteen other prisoners on the bus remained chained.

Lopez was serving a life sentence for a murder he committed on the Mexican border. He was also convicted of attempted murder. After his escape, an amount of 50,000 dollars (46,500 euros) was offered for the golden tip.