Prosecutors say a man who fled from his 2016 South Texas murder trial during a bathroom break and was convicted in absentia has been caught and formally sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Kerry Gittens was sentenced Friday by a judge in San Antonio. Investigators say a tip led to the 26-year-old Gittens, who'd been on the run six months when he was captured Feb. 27 at a Houston-area motel.
Officials say Gittens, who was free on bond, fled last August shortly before closing arguments in his San Antonio trial -- telling his attorney that he needed to use the restroom. Authorities believe Gittens cut off his ankle monitor.
Gittens, while a fugitive, was convicted of murder over the 2014 fatal shooting of Antwan Jones and sentenced to 50 years.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
