The hunt for a convicted murderer who left a South Carolina prison under confusing circumstances has been going on for more than two months without much progress. The reward for his arrest continued to grow, reaching $60,000, as authorities repeatedly pleaded for help. He was dangerous, they warned, and he could be anywhere.
Finally, in recent days, investigators received promising news: Their fugitive, Jeriod Price, was in New York. And on Wednesday, authorities said, he was arrested at a Bronx apartment.
“Jeriod Price is no longer wanted,” Alan Wilson, the attorney general of South Carolina, announced at a news conference. Mr. Price, who had just served a 19-year sentence to 35 years in prison for the 2002 murder, was re-incarcerated, he said: “He’ll be back in South Carolina soon.”
The twist in the case of Mr. Price that he didn’t escape. He was released in March under a secret order signed by a prominent judge, who retired the next day.
The unusual circumstances of Mr. Price’s release drew intense scrutiny from law enforcement, prosecutors and top elected officials in South Carolina, including Governor Henry. McMaster, who described the situation as “seemingly against the law and clearly against common sense.”
A challenge to Mr Price’s release went to the State Supreme Court, where judges also questioned the validity of the order and eventually overturned it, turning Mr Price into a fug after he failed to confess.
Todd Rutherford, Mr. Price’s attorney, argued that the judge’s order was justified because Mr. Price provided vital assistance to prison officials to protect correctional officers from assaults and warnings. them about a prisoner running away.
He said the stealthy nature of the order was intended to protect Mr Price – who he believed was in serious danger because of the information he shared – not to conceal a worthy judicial process. doubt.
“It’s good to know Jeriod Price is safe from outsiders trying to harm him,” Mr Rutherford said in a text message on Wednesday. “Now, he has to worry about people in the government continuing to harm him.”
Officials said Mr. Price will remain in New York until his appearance before a federal judge there. It is unclear when he will return to South Carolina.
But corrections officials said they would provide him with additional protections when he returns to South Carolina, including placing him in a one-person cell and restricting his movement. “We’re going to take precautions to make sure he’s protected,” Bryan P. Stirling, the state’s director of corrections, told reporters Wednesday.
The manhunt began after a South Carolina high court ordered Mr. Price to be returned to custody on April 26. He received his Florence, SC-addressed driver’s license after being released from prison. on March 15, although he did not leave much of a trace. to follow.
But investigators were able to catch him after calls came to a line operated by the state’s Bureau of Corrections. One person in South Carolina said Mr. Price was in New York. Federal agents and New York police began monitoring an apartment in the Bronx and confirmed that he was there.
Mr. Price was arrested Wednesday morning “without force,” said Wilson, the attorney general.
Officials said rewards, up to $60,000 from funds from various federal and state law enforcement agencies, will be paid out.
Price, 43, was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2003 for the murder of Carl Smalls Jr., a college football player, at a nightclub in Columbia, the state capital. Police said the shooting was caused by a gang-related conflict. Mr Price did not deny shooting Mr Smalls, but he argued he was defending himself.
In a statement relayed by Mr. Wilson, Carl Smalls Sr., the victim’s father, expressed relief on Wednesday. “This just underscores our faith in the law enforcement community,” Mr. Wilson told reporters, echoing what Mr. Smalls had told him in a phone conversation.
The family have said Mr Price’s release was a painful surprise. Relatives were informed on the day of his release that he would soon be released, but before that there was no indication that he would be released anytime soon.
The controversy has prompted a review of the process around early release of inmates and even calls for a review of the judge selection process in South Carolina.
South Carolina is the rare state where the legislature chooses a judge. And Mr. Rutherford, Mr. Price’s attorney, is the Democratic leader in the House and serves on the committee that plays a key role in determining which judicial candidates can advance in the process.
Mr. Rutherford has argued that Mr Price’s case has been caught up in politics. “He helped the people of South Carolina,” he said, referring to information he gave corrections officials, “and his reward was that his life was at stake. by those seeking political gain.”
But Mr Wilson said the larger discussion around Mr Price’s release and the justice system in general would continue. “We want a system that is transparent and that people can trust,” he said.
“In this particular case,” he continued, “the day won. Mr. Price was arrested. He will return to prison. The Smalls family is very happy.”
