A murder suspect who was mistakenly released from a Los Angeles jail in January has been recaptured. The man was arrested somewhere in Nevada, authorities have confirmed.
In a report by News 1130, the man identified as Steven Lawrence Wright was released from jail due to "clerical error." The Los Angeles County sheriff's detectives learned that Wright might be hiding in a Boulder City hotel and the one who gave the tip reportedly asked for help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation as well as local police departments. He was arrested without incident at around 11:45 A.M. on Monday, February 8.
Sheriff's Cmdr. Keith Swensson said in a statement that the 37-year-old was unarmed and there was no indication that crimes were committed while he was free from jail. Aside from Wright being arrested, two more people, a man and a woman, were arrested at the hotel for charges of aiding and abetting, KHQ reported. It was unclear, however, what the relationship of the two people is to Wright.
Swensson did not yet detail what led detectives to the hotel where Wright was found such as the person who gave a tip regarding the free inmate's whereabouts. However, he did say that there was a $20,000 reward, which was able to generate lots of tips regarding the location of Wright that came from the public.
ABC7 noted that Wright was released from the Inmate Reception Center last January 30 and deputies only realized the mistake more than a day after he was freed. Wright was behind bars since April of 2011 following the shooting death of a 47-year-old man. The shooting took place in Pasadena, California and it is said to be a gang-related incident. Wright reportedly belonged to the Altadena Blocc Crips during that time.
Wright was found guilty of the killing in 2014 but his conviction was overturned last year. A judge said that the trial was unfair and Wright was scheduled for a preliminary hearing for the new murder trial this March. If convicted, he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Authorities no longer filed additional charges against Wright. He is being held in Nevada pending an extradition hearing.
