Texas Seven Escapee Convicted

The leader of a gang of prison escapees was found guilty of capital murder Tuesday in the death of an Irving policeman, who was showered with bullets and run over during the robbery of a sporting goods store.

George Rivas faces lethal injection or life in prison. Jurors were to begin hearing evidence in the punishment phase Wednesday morning.

"The death penalty … honestly that's the easiest part right there," Rivas told CBS News' Ed Bradley in February, after his re-capture, saying it was his return to prison that he dreaded the most.

Prosecutors presented evidence for five days last week, including Rivas' confession, in which he said he deserved to die for shooting Irving, Tex., Officer Aubrey Hawkins. In the confession, Rivas also asked forgiveness from his family.

Jurors, who deliberated less than two hours, also heard testimony from robbery victims, forensic experts, and the officer's widow.

"The evidence is overwhelming," said Dallas County prosecutor Toby Shook.

Rivas' attorneys offered a brief defense, presenting one witness. The defense argued that Rivas never intended to kill Hawkins, only disarm him by shooting him in the shoulders when others joined in the gunfire.

"These guys were just in a panic," said attorney Karo Johnson. "They were just firing their guns."

Shook countered that Hawkins was shot at close range.

"This was a well-planned, meticulous operation," he said. "They weren't in a panic. They were determined and in a frenzy to kill Officer Hawkins, to get him out of the way."

Investigators say Rivas helped six fellow convicts escape from a South Texas prison on Dec. 13, 2000, and subsequently baffled authorities during a six-week manhunt. The slain officer was responding to a robbery call at a sporting goods store on Christmas Eve.

Rivas is the first the escapees to be tried on capital murder charges. Dallas County prosecutors have vowed to seek the death penalty and accept no plea agreements.

Legal experts have said the verdict in Rivas' case will be a barometer for the remaining trials; if he is sentenced to die, the other defendants are likely to meet the same fate.

Rivas said in his written statement he shot Hawkins because he thought the officer was reaching for his service revolver.

When others joined in the shooting, Rivas himself was shot twice by his own men.

The prosecution was not required to prove that bullets fired by Rivas actually killed Hawkins. Under the "law of parties," Rivas is liable for the alleged conduct of the other escapees if he promoted or assisted them during the crime.

Jurors did not hear about the gang's meticulously planned Dec. 13 breakout from the Connally Unit in Kenedy, where they stole a pickup and 16 guns, and left a note threatening, "You haven't heard the last of us yet."

Defense attorneys may call Rivas as a witness during the punishment phase, when prosecutors would be allowed to question him about his criminal history Rivas was serving a life sentence for robbery and kidnapping when he escaped.

Fort Worth attorney Bill Lane, who is not connected to the case, said defense attorneys are in a difficult position, like "damage control officers on the Titanic."

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