2001-03-06
Deal nets 60-year term after Texas killing, chase
AMARILLO, Texas - An accused killer who was caught after leading authorities on a chase through Oklahoma in November has received a 60-year prison term in a plea agreement.
Tom Raper Jr., 30, wrote a letter to prosecutor James Farren in December regarding the shooting death of Clifford Espinoza, whose body was found in a rural Randall County, Texas, field Nov. 13.
"I don't want to have to wait so long to be tried. ... I'm ready to be forgiven for my sins and want the Death Penalty!" he wrote.
Texas prosecutors and Raper agreed on the penalty within hours Feb. 28.
Farren said he is satisfied with the sentence, in which Raper will have to serve 30 years before being eligible for parole. Hiram Bodry, 46, of Pueblo, Colo., is also charged in the case.
Raper and Bodry were captured after authorities tracked them driving a 2000 Cadillac Escalade reportedly stolen from Floydada, Texas. The Cadillac was equipped with a Global Positioning System device that allowed authorities to track the car along U.S. 62 between Altus and Lawton.
An Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper and passing motorists were fired upon during the pursuit. Afterward, the men abandoned the car and fled into the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge near Lawton before surrendering, authorities said.
Raper also was charged with shooting with intent to kill in Comanche County, an Oklahoma prosecutor said.
Archive ID: 841863