Sunday, September 20, 2009
Caught!
Phillip Paul, the insane killer who escaped during a fun outing to the County Fair, was caught this afternoon. Apparently he had been planning this escape for many months, buying camp food online and setting up connections. He took advantage of the two-hour gap between his escape and the first notification to law enforcement; got one of his friends to give him a ride to the town of Goldendale near Yakima. It's not known why he chose that town. After three days of camping, he tried to flag down a random passing car; that driver notified police, and they closed in on him. (The cops already had a tip that he was somewhere around Goldendale.)
One nice bit of closure: the deputy who arrested him was the same guy who had arrested him on his previous escape in 1991. That time, Paul seriously injured the deputy. This time, he came quietly.
The response of state officials and news media has undergone a dramatic and speedy change. On the first day, state officials were sticking to Psychologically Correct Language and evasive answers. By the fourth day, the boiling public outrage (and probably police outrage as well) had caused the state officials and media to sober up completely. No more evasion and euphemism, just plain facts.
On the first day, "An alleged murderer sometimes described as criminally insane...."
On the fourth day, "Insane Killer Caught."
= = = = =
More details on the capture. Looks like a friend drove Paul to Goldendale and equipped him with sleeping bag, guitar and scythe, supposedly believing that Paul had been officially released instead of escaped. Doesn't ring true, but I can understand why the cops want to muffle this part of the story. The friend finally tipped them off, so he deserves consideration. ¶ 9:51 PM
One nice bit of closure: the deputy who arrested him was the same guy who had arrested him on his previous escape in 1991. That time, Paul seriously injured the deputy. This time, he came quietly.
The response of state officials and news media has undergone a dramatic and speedy change. On the first day, state officials were sticking to Psychologically Correct Language and evasive answers. By the fourth day, the boiling public outrage (and probably police outrage as well) had caused the state officials and media to sober up completely. No more evasion and euphemism, just plain facts.
On the first day, "An alleged murderer sometimes described as criminally insane...."
On the fourth day, "Insane Killer Caught."
= = = = =
More details on the capture. Looks like a friend drove Paul to Goldendale and equipped him with sleeping bag, guitar and scythe, supposedly believing that Paul had been officially released instead of escaped. Doesn't ring true, but I can understand why the cops want to muffle this part of the story. The friend finally tipped them off, so he deserves consideration. ¶ 9:51 PM
