Gerrard Kaonga
A convicted murderer was able to sweet talk his way past a police officer after breaking out of prison in an infamous escape.
Richard Lee McNair was imprisoned after murdering one man and shooting a second man four times during a botched robbery in 1987.
McNair was sentenced to two life sentences for murder and attempted murder, in addition to a thirty-year prison sentence for burglary.
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Following his incarceration, he became known for his ability to escape and elude capture. His first escape took place in 1988 and he used lip balm as a lubricant to squeeze out of his handcuffs.
The second came four years after in 1992, when the Oklahoma-born convict crawled out of prison through a ventilation duct.
He subsequently dyed his hair blonde and almost evaded capture for a year, but was apprehended in New York after 10 months.
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His most infamous escape happened 14 years later, in which an interaction he had with a police officer during this time was captured on a cop car dash cam.
McNair was shockingly able to convince the officer that he was simply out for a jog despite the policeman being aware that there had been a prison escape in the local area.
On April 5 2006, McNair gave his prison the slip while out on yard work at the United States Penitentiary in Pollock, Louisiana.
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McNair had constructed an 'escape pod' with a breathing tube and hid beneath a pile of mailbags as he would regularly work on repairing old mailbags during his time in prison.
When the repaired mailbags were delivered to an outside warehouse, McNair cut himself free and ran for freedom.
Officer Carl Bordelon stopped him when he was seen running on railway tracks, but McNair calmly and confidently convinced the officer he was no threat.
While speaking to Bordelon, McNair gives the officer two different names but still fails to raise suspicion. He also acts surprised when the officer informs him that there is an escapee loose.
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The picture that Bordelon received regarding the escapee was of poor quality and some of the information was dated, meaning the officer could not be sure he had the prisoner, though at one point during their chat he does tell McNair he matches the description.
McNair also created a relatively good fake story of how he was working for his brothers’ roofing company and was staying at a nearby hotel.
He was eventually let go by the officer.
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Despite high levels of media coverage, McNair managed to make his way into Canada, where he evaded capture until October 2007.
As of 2022, McNair remains incarcerated at a high-security prison in Florence, Colorado.