Gonzalo Lopez, the escaped convict that has sparked a manhunt about 116 miles north of Houston, has escaped and evaded authorities before, according to records and documents over 100 pages long.
Lopez, 46, was serving back-to-back life sentences; his extensive criminal history includes drug possession, kidnapping for ransom, murder, and a conviction that ended in Lopez leading investigators to the spot where he buried a victim, after killing him with a pickax. The victim was found buried four feet deep with rope still bound and tied around the victim’s hands, neck and mouth.
Texas authorities say that Lopez was able to stab a prison guard in the hand and chest on Thursday, the convict then escaped from a prison bus that was wrecked in the process.
The incident took place during transport from Alfred Hughes Unit to a prison medical facility in Huntsville. Lopez tried driving away in the bus after stabbing the guard, but another guard was able to shoot out the rear tires with a shotgun. The prison bus was transporting 16 other prisoners, and none of them were hurt when Lopez made his escape.
The reward started at $15,000 for information leading to the whereabouts of Lopez, it was later increased to $22,000.
