Mississippi Fugitive Recaptured After Escaping State Prison

Drew Johnson, a convicted murderer who escaped from a Mississippi prison on Christmas Eve, was captured Wednesday near the South Mississippi Correctional Institution, officials said. The Mississippi Department of Corrections confirmed the arrest in a social media post.

Johnson’s breakout occurred Tuesday afternoon at the Leakesville facility. A desperate manhunt followed, with authorities urging residents to stay alert during the holidays. Local law enforcement described Johnson as “very dangerous” and warned that people often lower their defenses around Christmas.

The 35-year-old inmate was serving a life sentence without parole for a brutal 2016 murder in Memphis, Tennessee, where he stabbed a man more than 25 times and left the body in a field. Johnson’s violent record doesn’t end there—he attacked a fellow prisoner with a brick in 2021 and was convicted of setting multiple fires in 2019.

Law enforcement in Greene County coordinated the search effort, ultimately locating Johnson near the correctional facility. His capture ends a brief but intense manhunt that left residents on edge.

The convicted murderer now faces additional charges for his escape, which will likely extend his time behind bars. Johnson is also awaiting trial for an unrelated murder case in Rankin County, Mississippi.

Authorities have not disclosed how Johnson managed to escape from the high-security facility.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR