How a first-time offender became one of the FBI's most elusive fugitives
In short: Glen Stewart Godwin went from a clean criminal record to a life sentence for murder, then orchestrated a daring escape from a maximum-security prison. After vanishing into Mexico, he broke out of a second jail, remaining at large for decades while evading international authorities and the FBI's most wanted list.
In 1981, Glen Stewart Godwin was convicted for the murder of Kim LeValley, a drug dealer and acquaintance. Godwin, a business owner with no prior criminal history, was sentenced to 26 years to life in prison. The crime was brutal; according to testimony, Godwin beat, strangled, and stabbed the victim before attempting to incinerate the body with homemade explosives in the California desert. This act of violence marked the beginning of a long, complex history of incarceration and evasion.
Godwin’s reputation for ingenuity emerged during his time in the California prison system. After an initial failed attempt, he successfully broke out of Folsom Prison in June 1987. With outside assistance—likely from his wife, Shelley Rose, and former cellmate Lorenz Karlic—he navigated a 300-yard storm drain and escaped via a raft on the American River. This escape was notable for its precision, as he followed pre-placed markers to freedom. His wife was later apprehended in Dallas, Texas, in 1990, but Godwin had already fled to Mexico.
While in Mexico, Godwin’s criminal trajectory continued. He was arrested on drug and weapons charges and imprisoned in Puerto Vallarta. Even while facing extradition to the United States, he managed to kill a fellow inmate to stall the process, eventually escaping from the Mexican facility in 1991. Despite being added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List in 1996, he was removed in May 2016, as officials determined the publicity was no longer yielding results. Godwin remains at large, with authorities suspecting his continued involvement in the illicit drug trade across Latin America.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: A first-time offender ends up on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted List | December 7, 1996 | HISTORY
- Also: Glen Stewart Godwin
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