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SoCal Jailbreak Crime Spree Couple Finally Caught, Suspects in NorCal Murder
Darnell and Tania Washington (Photos courtesy LASD)
Since his escape from jail in Devore in late August, Darnell Washington and his wife, Tania, have been on the run and racking up a number of serious criminal charges. Following his escape, Washington was joined by his wife, and the duo allegedly committed a string of car jackings, and are suspected of shooting and wounding a Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy. Now the pair are thought to have stabbed a schoolteacher to death in a San Francisco suburb.The fatally stabbed body of Susie Ko was found on the floor of her home in Hercules, California on October 5, reports the San Bernardino Sun. An autopsy determined Ko died of stab wounds and blunt force trauma to the head. Ko's death was the first murder in quiet Hercules since 2010.
The Washingtons stole Ko's vehicle, and were finally caught last Wednesday after a pursuit outside of Seattle, Washington.
Darnell Washington, 24, had been jailed in the low-risk facility in Devore awaiting trial for a 2011 robbery. His break-out was helped by his wife and another inmate; Washington got free by simply hopping the fence.
In addition to the slew of charges the couple face in Los Angeles County, the Washingtons were booked into jail in King County, Washington on suspicion of murder, assault, weapons charges, vehicle theft and attempting to elude police. Officials say they anticipate charges of murder and auto theft will be brought forward to the Contra Costa District Attorney's Office late next week.
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