Escaped murderer captured near Mississippi prison on Christmas

Dec. 25 (UPI) — Convicted murderer Drew Johnson is back in prison on Christmas Day after briefly escaping a Mississippi state prison on Christmas Eve.

Johnson, 33, was captured near the South Mississippi Correctional Institution in Leakesville after escaping from the prison on Tuesday afternoon, the Mississippi Department of Corrections announced on Facebook Wednesday afternoon.

Mississippi authorities described Johnson as “very, very dangerous” and “desperate” after discovering he was missing from the prison, CNN reported.

“People tend to be more generous during Christmas and let their guard down,” the George County Sheriff’s Department said in a Facebook post prior to Johnson’s capture. “Be vigilant and be careful.”

Johnson is serving life in prison after pleading guilty to several unrelated and violent crimes and being sentenced on Feb. 14, 2022.

He also pleaded guilty to the 2016 stabbing death of an acquaintance, during which he stabbed the victim more than two dozen times and left the body in a field near Memphis, according to the Shelby County (Tenn.) District Attorney’s Office.

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