Homicide for the Holidays: Who were the Texas 7?

The group of seven prisoners from the John B. Connally Unit, known as the Texas 7, pulled off one of the most daring escapes in 2000. This led to a nationwide manhunt and the slaying of Irving police officer Aubrey Wright Hawkins on Christmas Eve.

On December 13, 2000, seven prisoners coordinated their way out of the John B. Connally Unit near Kenedy, Texas, and committed a spree of crimes to sustain their lives out of prison. They robbed a Radio Shack in Pearland on December 19, 2000, and an Oshman's Sporting Goods in nearby Irving on December 24, 2000.

The Homicide for the Holidays season 5 episode 5, titled Christmas Eve Killing, revolves around the murder of Officer Aubrey White and the Texas 7. The official synopsis reads,

"After responding to a robbery at a sporting goods store on Christmas Eve, an Irving, Texas police officer is gunned down in cold blood. When the identity of the killers is discovered, the case explodes into a nationwide manhunt."

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Who were the Texas 7? Details explored

During the count period in jail, a group of seven convicted men broke out of the maximum-security prison near Kenedy, Texas, on December 13, 2000. They broke out of the John B. Connally Unit, which is run by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Correctional Institutions Division and is located on Farm to Market Road 632, just east of U.S. Highway 181.

A 2001 artist sketch of the Texas 7 (Image via Houston Chronicle)

The group stole clothes from the prison staff, seized enough weapons, and made their way out in a prison maintenance pick-up truck with $70,000 in cash and checks, guns, and police scanners, according to Deseret News.

The seven inmates left behind a sinister note reading,

“You haven’t heard the last of us yet."

The seven inmates who became part of the infamous Texas 7 included:

1. Joseph Christopher Garcia
2. Randy Ethan Halprin
3. Patrick Henry Murphy Jr.
4. Larry James Harper
5. Donald Keith Newbury
6. Michael Anthony Rodriguez
7. George Angel Rivas Jr.

While Larry James Harper ended his life before his capture by committing suicide, the other six were apprehended and captured throughout January 22–24, 2001.

A still of the John B. Connally Unit (Image via Pond5)

Following an episode of America's Most Wanted that aired on January 20, 2001, information about the seven convicts at large poured in as the informants were promised a reward. The six surviving men of the Texas 7 went through individual trial hearings and were sentenced to death upon their capture.

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How did the Texas 7 escape?

The group of seven, who had planned their escape for December 13, 2000, overtook and held nine maintenance supervisors including their boss as hostages in an electrical room.

They additionally captured four correctional officers and three uninvolved inmates. They knocked their victims unconscious and stole their clothes, identifications, and credit cards. They impersonated officers on the phone to ensure ample isolation from the authorities.

A wanted-for-murder poster for the Texas 7 (Image via SFGate)

Three convicts made their way to the back gate of the prison and pretended to be crew on the grounds appointed to install security monitors. After they overpowered the guard at the gatehouse, they raided the guard tower of weapons. The four inmates behind caused a diversion to engage the prison guards away from the tower.

The three men then stole a prison maintenance pick-up truck, picked up the four remaining from the prison back gate, and drove off.

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The Christmas Eve Killing episode showcasing the crimes by Texas 7 re-airs on December 17, 2023, at 11 p.m. EST on Oxygen.