Authorities have located the married fugitives who escaped a prison van after overpowering security guards last month.
ABC News reports that Blane Barksdale and his wife Susan Barksdale were apprehended in Arizona on Wednesday evening, when they were taken into custody without incident. As CrimeOnline previously reported, the Barksdales escaped custody after they hijacked a secured van that was transporting them from a facility in New York state to Arizona. The pair reportedly falsely claimed that Susan Barksdale was suffering from a medical ailment and then overpowered two guards when the van stopped, taking over the wheel before they ditched the van and moved into another vehicle.
Both are murder suspects in the April death of Frank Bligh, 72, in Tuscon.
According to the Washington Post, the suspects — who had been the focus of a manhunt for over two weeks — were found at a residence in the Tonto National Forest. The capture came after the U.S. Marshals Service offered a $35,000 reward for information that led to both suspects, and placed Blane Barksdale on the Top 15 Most Wanted List.
Blane Barksdale is reportedly affiliated with both the Hell’s Angels and the Aryan Brotherhood, a white supremacist group. Authorities had previously said it was possible those groups had been helping to harbor the fugitives, according to the report, but it remains unclear who, if anyone, had been helping the couple at the residence where they were found hiding out.
Authorities are expected to hold a press conference Thursday. CrimeOnline will provide further updates on this developing story when more information is available.
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