Murder victims in Idaho white supremacist prison break ID’d as men aged 83 and 72: Latest
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.
Key Points
What we know so far
Who is Skylar Meade?
Who is Nicholas Umphenour?
Arrest warrant issued for accomplice
Mugshot of Tonia Huber released
22:27 , Michelle Del Rey
Charges revealed for Skylar Meade and Tonia Huber after inmate escape
21:58 , Michelle Del Rey
Skylar Meade, Tonia Huber and Nicholas Umphenour appeared in court on Friday after officials arrested them the day before following Meade’s prison break earlier this week.
Huber, 52, was found with Meade as officials took him into custody. She’s been charged with harbouring a fugitive, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, possession of a controlled substance, another felony, and eluding police.
Meade has been charged with felony escape, with his bond set at $2m.
Police release photo of one of the murder victims
21:30 , Michelle Del Rey
Officials with the Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office released a photo of one of the men state police said was killed in connection with the prison escape this week.
James L Mauney, 83, was walking his white Jack Russell and brown Chesapeake Bay Retriever on Wednesday when he encountered Skylar Meade and Nicholas Umphenour, police said. He was wearing sweat pants, a yellow flannel, white shoes and a bucket hat.
The men then carjacked the man’s 2019 Silver Chrysler Pacifica. His body was found in a desolate area near Leland.
Police believe the suspects travelled through Montana
21:00 , Michelle Del Rey
Officials said in a press release that the two fugitives may have travelled through Missoula, Montana during Skylar Meade’s escape, which is nearly eight hours away from the hospital in Boise where he broke free from custody.
Nicholas Umphenour also confirmed member of Aryan Knights gang
20:49 , Michelle Del Rey
The Associated Press reports that the man that help Skylar Meade escape was also a member of the Aryan Knights gang and had recently been released from prison.
Officials have also released two mugshots for the men following their capture.
An unidentified woman was taken into custody during inmate’s arrest
20:30 , Michelle Del Rey
According to the Idaho State Police, an unidentified 52-year-old woman was taken into custody on charges related to Meade’s flight from the residence. She was booked into the Twin Falls County Jail.
Catch up with the story: What we know so far
20:00 , Michelle Del Rey
A manhunt is underway in Idaho after a prisoner serving a 20-year sentence for shooting at a sheriff during a high-speed car chase was busted out of a hospital in a night-time raid by an armed accomplice.
Michelle Del Rey reports:
Prisoner escapes from custody after accomplice’s shooting spree. Here’s what we know
Watch: Manhunt underway for white supremacist prison gang member, his alleged accomplice
20:00 , Michelle Del Rey
ICYMI: Escaped Idaho inmate and armed accomplice recaptured as two other men found dead
19:30 , Michelle Del Rey
An escaped inmate and his armed accomplice have been located and taken into custody in Idaho, following a dramatic prison-break earlier this week.
Prisoner Skylar Meade, 31, who had previously been serving a 20-year sentence for shooting at a sheriff during a high-speed chase, was busted out of hospital in a night-time raid on Wednesday.
Read the full story:
Escaped Idaho inmate and armed accomplice recaptured as two other men found dead
Police react to capturing Skylar Meade
18:46 , Michelle Del Rey
“I am extremely proud of the entire Twin Falls Police Department and our partners,” Twin Falls Police Chief Craig Kingsbury said in a written statement. “Although one of our vehicles was damaged during the P.I.T. maneuver, there were no injuries to members of our community, our team, other law enforcement, or the suspects themselves.”
Police release photos of Skylar Meade’s arrest
18:21 , Michelle Del Rey
Second suspected murder victim ID’d
17:54 , Michelle Del Rey
Dennis Fuller, the coroner for Clearwater County said Gerald Don Henderson, 72, died from an apparent gunshot wound but that his manner of death was still pending an autopsy.
First murder victim identified in Idaho white supremacist prison break
17:01 , Michelle Del Rey
The first homicide victim linked to an Idaho prison escape has been identified as a 83-year-old man, according to the Nez Pearce County Coroner’s Office.
The body of James L Mauney was found outside of Leland, Idaho. He’s from the Juliaetta area, officials said in a news release.
Read more here:
First murder victim identified in Idaho white supremacist prison break
Police call attack ‘brazen, violent, and apparently coordinated’
16:15 , Michelle Del Rey
Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar denounced the attack coordinated by an accomplice and escaped inmate on Wednesday.
“This brazen, violent, and apparently coordinated attack on Idaho Department of Corrections personnel, to facilitate an escape of a dangerous inmate, was carried out right in front of the Emergency Department, where people come for medical help, often in the direst circumstances,” Mr Winegar said.
“We caution anyone who may have contact with the suspects involved in this violent attack and escape to call 911 immediately and not confront them personally. They are armed, dangerous, and have shown they are willing to use extreme violence in furtherance of their criminal activity.”
Three prison officers shot as inmate dramatically broken out of Idaho hospital by gunman
15:31 , Michelle Del Rey
Three Idaho Department of Corrections officers were shot as an inmate escaped from a hospital in Boise. Now, officials are looking for two suspects: The inmate and the man who attacked and fired at the officers.
Police say that the incident started at 2.15am on Wednesday when officials transported inmate Skylar Meade to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center for medical treatment.
Michelle Del Rey reports:
Prison officers shot as inmate breaks out of Idaho hospital with gunman
Boise Police Department’s last update
15:00 , Michelle Del Rey
What are the Aryan Knights, the gang escaped inmate is tied to
14:35 , Michelle Del Rey
Skylar Meade, the inmate who escaped from the Idaho Department of Corrections on Wednesdayand his accomplice, Nicholas Umphenour, are both affiliated with a white supremacist prison gang called the Aryan Knights, law enforcement said on Thursday.
The Aryan Knights emerged in the mid-1990s to “organize criminal activity for a select group of white inmates within IDOC custody,” according to the Idaho District Attorney’s Office.
The group has white supremacist and white separatist ideologies. It is believed to have over 100 members inside and outside of IDOC. The group has used violence and threats of violence to target non-white inmates and other targeted inmates.
The Anti-Defamation League says the group will identify themselves with tattoos for the number “12” as well as “A” and “K”.
Police have asked people to be on the lookout for Skylar Meade, who sports a “1” and “11” tattoo as well as an “A” and “K”.
Watch: Manhunt underway for white supremacist prison gang member and his alleged accomplice
14:05 , Michelle Del Rey
How common are prison escapes?
13:00 , Michelle Del Rey
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?
12:00 , Mike Bedigan
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
Thursday 21 March 2024 18:10 , Ariana Baio
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?
Thursday 21 March 2024 14:00 , Ariana Baio
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.
