March 22, 1999
Death row inmate recalls escape attempt
HUNTSVILLE (AP) - For Gustavo Garcia, the worst part about failing to complete his escape from Texas' death row was learning one of his partners died after becoming the first to break out since the Bonnie and Clyde era.
"I was hoping he'd gotten away," Garcia said of fellow convict Martin Gurule. "It would have made everything worthwhile for me."
Garcia, 26, and Gurule, 29, were among seven condemned murderers who slipped away from death row Thanksgiving night by cutting through a recreation yard fence with a hacksaw blade. Then they climbed to a roof and crawled the length of the Ellis Unit prison before scrambling to the ground.
They raced across a grassy area and over the first of two 10-foot chain-link fences topped with razor wire before guards in nearby towers spotted them and opened fire.
Gurule was the only one to scale the second fence and disappear into the foggy night.
Gurule drowned shortly after the escape. His body was found Dec. 3 by a pair of off-duty prison employees fishing in a 15-foot-deep creek a couple of miles from the prison.
The discovery ended the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's intense hunt for the first inmate to escape from Texas death row since a Bonnie and Clyde gang member broke out in 1934.
"I don't regret trying to escape," Garcia told The Associated Press in an interview that marked the first time any of the six surviving escapees has spoken publicly about the break. "It was worth the try. At least I can say I tried."
Garcia was set to die March 31 for the 1990 shotgun slaying of a Plano beverage store worker during a robbery. On Friday, that date was set aside.
Asked to compare the escape with the prospect of lethal injection, Garcia replied: "Facing execution is scarier."
He declined to get into specifics of the getaway planning, saying only that it had been discussed for some time and that they decided to take advantage of what they perceived as lax security.
"I was surprised at how easy it was," he said.
"Just run," he said of the death row inmates' strategy. "I know a lot of people thought there was this big old conspiracy, officers helping, outside help. It was nothing like that."
Asked if he would try to escape again, Garcia responded: "No. I think once is enough."
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