Murder victims in Idaho white supremacist prison break ID’d as men aged 83 and 72: Latest
Police investigating whether white supremacist fugitives are responsible for killings, one of which may have been a carjacking
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
The identities of the two men who were possibly murdered in connection with an Idaho prison escape have been released by officials.
The bodies of James L Mauney, 83, from the Juliaetta area and Gerald Don Henderson, 72 were found as officials searched for 31-year-old Skylar Meade and Nicholas Umphenour, an inmate and a man who had been recently released.
Mr Henderson died from an apparent gunshot wound but his manner of death is pending an autopsy investigation. Mr Mauney was carjacked by the men as he was walking his dogs. His body was found near his home.
Thursday afternoon, police captured Meade, who is aligned with a white supremacist group, and Umphenour near Leland, Idaho.
The episode started around 2.15am on Wednesday. Meade escaped a Boise hospital where he was seeking treatment for an apparent self-inflicted injury. As officers worked to transport the man back to the prison, Umphenour pulled up to the ambulance bay and began shooting allowing Meade to escape into his car.
How common are prison escapes?
Prison escapes are more common than people think but are rarely violent or to the level of complex escapes that trickle into the news.
Bryce Peterson, a senior research scientist at The Center for Justice Research and Innovation, told CBS News in September that people leave minimum security custody “all the time.”
Most escapes are considered “AWOL” or absent without leave which means an inmate is already outside of the facility and missed a court date, walks off a worksite or doesn’t report back in time can be considered AWOL.
Though it’s hard to pinpoint the exact number of escapes, most prisons do not differentiate AWOLs from maximum security escapes. So the number may be higher than expected but it does not necessarily mean the escape is dramatic.
Who is Skylar Meade?
Police in Idaho have recaptured 31-year-old Skylar Meade, an inmate at the Idaho Department of Corrections, who escaped from custody on Wednesday morning in what law enforcement described as a “brazen” and “violent” stagged attack.
Meade is 5’6” and 150 pounds. He has face tattoos with the number one and 11 – to represent the first and 11th letters of the alphabet, A and K, – which stands for Aryan Knights, the gang he is affiliated with. He also has an “A” and “K” tattoo on his abdomen.
The Aryan Knights are a white supremacist prison gang formed in the Idaho prison system in the 1990s, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Meade was serving time in the IDOC for aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer with a firearm enhancement. He also has prior convictions, including felony possession of a controlled substance, grand theft and introduction of contraband into a correctional facility.
He was incarcerated in October 2016.
Arrest warrant issued for accomplice
The Boise Police Department has issued an arrest warrant for Nicholas Umphenour, the man accused of being an accomplice to Skylar Meade’s escape.
The warrant is for two counts of aggravated battery against law enforcement and one charge of aiding and abetting an escape. It also has a $2 million bond.
Police believe Umphenour and Meade are in a Grey 2020 Honda Civic with Idaho license plate 2TDF43U.
Who is Nicholas Umphenour?
Police are searching for Nicholas Umphenour, a man accused of helping prison inmate Skylar Meade escape, by staging a “violent” and “brazen” attack.
Umphenour is described as 5’11” and 160 pounds. He has brown hair and hazel eyes.
Police allege that Umphenour is an associate of Meade and helped him escape from police custody by firing at two correctional officers as they were transporting Meade to the hospital on Wednesday morning. He also drove Meade away in a Grey 2020 Honda Civic.
A warrant and $2 million bond have been issued for Umphenour’s arrest. The arrest is for two counts of aggravated battery against law enforcement and one charge of aiding and abetting an escape.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.