How Seven Convicts Orchestrated the Most Audacious Prison Break in Modern Texas History

Cultures · Published 10 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: On December 13, 2000, seven inmates executed a sophisticated escape from a maximum-security facility in South Texas. By overpowering staff and stealing uniforms and weapons, they vanished into the public, triggering a massive manhunt that ended in a deadly confrontation and a landmark legal case for the state.

The escape from the John B. Connally Unit near Kenedy, Texas, was a meticulously planned operation. At approximately 11:20 a.m., the seven men—George Rivas, Michael Anthony Rodriguez, Larry James Harper, Joseph Garcia, Patrick Henry Murphy Jr., Donald Keith Newbury, and Randy Halprin—overpowered prison employees and guards in a maintenance shop. They successfully seized 14 handguns, a shotgun, an AR-15 rifle, and over 100 rounds of ammunition. The group left their captors bound and unconscious in an electrical room before fleeing in a prison truck, later switching to a getaway vehicle provided by Raul Rodriguez, the father of one of the escapees.

Following their breakout, the group embarked on a violent crime spree. They robbed a Radio Shack in Pearland to secure cash and police scanners, then struck a sporting-goods store in Irving on Christmas Eve. During the latter robbery, they killed police officer Aubrey Hawkins, shooting him multiple times and running him over. The fugitives subsequently fled to Colorado, posing as Christian missionaries at a trailer park near Woodland Park. Their freedom was short-lived; a tip from a viewer of the television program America’s Most Wanted led authorities to their location in January 2001.

The aftermath of the manhunt resulted in a standoff in Colorado Springs, where the fugitives conducted phone interviews with a news station, claiming their actions were a protest against the Texas criminal justice system. One member, Larry James Harper, committed suicide as police closed in, while the remaining six surrendered. In February 2001, they were indicted for the capital murder of Officer Hawkins. All were convicted and sentenced to death, marking a significant moment in American legal history regarding the number of death sentences imposed in a single case. While several members have since been executed, the legal proceedings for others, including Randy Halprin, have continued to evolve through appeals and new trials.

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