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Homicide

Inmate escapes from eastern Illinois jail after overpowering guard, stealing uniform, SUV

Associated Press
Published | Updated
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    This undated photo provided by the Kankakee County Sheriff's Office shows Kamron T. Taylor. Taylor, a convicted murderer awaiting sentencing, escaped early Wednesday, April 1, 2015, from the Jerome Combs Detention Center in Kankakee, Ill., after overpowering a guard and taking his keys, uniform and SUV. (AP Photo/Courtesy of the Kankakee County Sheriff's Office) (The Associated Press)

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    Police approach a vehicle with guns drawn that convicted murderer Kamron T. Taylor stole during his escape early Wednesday, April 1, 2015, from the Jerome Combs Detention Center in Kankakee, Ill. Taylor, who was awaiting sentencing, escaped after overpowering a guard and taking his keys, uniform and SUV. (Photo/The Daily Journal, Tiffany Blanchette) (The Associated Press)

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    In this photo taken on Feb. 27, 2015, Kamron T. Taylor, right, is removed from a Kankakee County courtroom in Kankakee, Ill., by a bailiff and two sheriff's deputies, after struggling with the deputies and yelling at the crowd in the gallery after being found guilty of murder. Early Wednesday morning, April 1, 2015. Taylor escaped from the Jerome Combs Detention Center in Kankakee after overpowering a guard and taking his keys, uniform and SUV. (AP Photo/The Daily Journal, Mike Voss) (The Associated Press)

KANKAKEE, Ill. – A convicted murderer awaiting sentencing escaped from a jail in eastern Illinois Wednesday after overpowering a guard and taking his keys, uniform and SUV.

Kamron T. Taylor, who has a history of escape attempts, fled from the Jerome Combs Detention Center at about 3 a.m., the Kankakee County Sheriff's Office said.

Taylor, a 23-year-old from Kankakee, is considered armed and dangerous, Chief Deputy Ken McCabe said. He fled in the correctional officer's brown Chevrolet Equinox.

Local law enforcement agencies were helping hunt for Taylor, and the sheriff's office has asked for help from the U.S. Marshals Service's Fugitive Task Force.

"We are in search mode," McCabe said.

During his trial in February, Taylor tried to escape from the courthouse minutes after hearing the guilty verdict. Several sheriff's deputies and bailiffs wrestled him to the ground, and Taylor shouted expletives at the gallery as they led him away, according to a report in The (Kankakee) Daily Journal.

He also escaped briefly after his arrest in 2013 but was detained several blocks away, the newspaper reported at the time.

Taylor was found guilty of first-degree murder for the June 2013 slaying of 21-year-old Nelson Williams Jr. during a botched robbery at Williams' home in Kankakee. He faces a sentence of 45 years to life.

Williams was shot in the head on his front porch during a scuffle with a man demanding money. A 911 recording capturing the sound of the single gunshot was played for jurors.

The victim's fiancee, Rebecca Hoover, witnessed the shooting and provided dramatic testimony, telling the court she saw a man put Williams in a headlock and shoot him.

She and other witnesses acknowledged they did not see the gunman's face, but identified him as Taylor based on his clothing, including a blue hoodie, black jeans and white sneakers.

Taylor's attorney argued that he was mistakenly identified, saying he "made an unfortunate choice of clothing."