Man who fled Texas trial convicted, gets 50 years, caught

SAN ANTONIO (AP) – Prosecutors say a man who fled from his 2016 South Texas murder trial during a bathroom break and was convicted in absentia has been caught and formally sentenced to 50 years in prison.

Kerry Gittens was sentenced Friday by a judge in San Antonio. Investigators say a tip led to the 26-year-old Gittens, who’d been on the run six months when he was captured Feb. 27 at a Houston-area motel.

Officials say Gittens, who was free on bond, fled last August shortly before closing arguments in his San Antonio trial – telling his attorney that he needed to use the restroom. Authorities believe Gittens cut off his ankle monitor.

Gittens, while a fugitive, was convicted of murder over the 2014 fatal shooting of Antwan Jones and sentenced to 50 years.

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3/11/2017 2:32:42 PM (GMT -7:00)