Ohio murderer who escaped prison in 1978 captured
'Many believed (the case) to be impossible to solve'
Kim Palmer, Reuters
First posted: Friday, November 06, 2015 01:35 PM EST | Updated: Friday, November 06, 2015 01:52 PM EST
CLEVELAND - A convicted murderer who escaped an Ohio prison more than 37 years ago while serving a life sentence has been captured in St. Paul, Minnesota, the U.S. Marshals Service said on Friday.
Oscar Juarez, 66, who was convicted of the 1975 fatal shooting of a man in Toledo, became "one of Ohio's most wanted and long sought after escaped inmates," U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott of Ohio said on Friday.
Elliott said marshals arrested Juarez late Thursday at his apartment in St. Paul, Minnesota, after an extensive investigation by a cold case unit created in February.
In April 1978, Juarez sawed through his cell bars at Marion Correctional Institution in central Ohio and cut the prison's outer fence, leaving a dummy covered with blankets in his bed, Elliott said.
He assumed numerous identities during his decades as a fugitive, including Eleasor Morales Moreno, authorities said.
"This was one of our oldest cases that many believed to be impossible to solve," Ohio Adult Parole Authority Regional Director Todd Ishee said.
