The convicted assassin has escaped from prison and evaded capture for 4 days

A man convicted of the 2007 car bombing in a casino parking garage escaped from prison last weekend and eluded arrest for days before authorities found him.

Porfirio Duarte-Herrera, who is serving a life sentence for a Las Vegas murder, escaped from Southern Desert Correctional Center in Indian Springs, Nevada last Friday.

Although Las Vegas police released a notice on Tuesday regarding Duarte-Herrera’s escape, authorities said he had in fact been missing since September 23.

Prison officials only discovered his disappearance after he was absent from a head count Tuesday morning.

The Nevada Department of Justice has not released an official statement as to how Duarte-Herrera escaped or evaded capture. However, sources told 8NewsNow that he was able to erode his cell window with acid.

Duarte-Herrera also reportedly created a cardboard doll of himself to sit in his cell. Sources also said he took a sewing class in prison to sew a coat he took with him when he escaped.

Duarte-Herrera was finally found and picked up by Las Vegas Metro police officers at a bus stop in downtown Las Vegas on Wednesday.

Where Duarte-Herrera, originally from Nicaragua, wanted to go is unclear. However, a charter bus company based at the station offers shuttle service to Mexico.

Authorities are still unsure what Duarte-Herrera did in his four days outside of prison. “He was able to get some money and some transportation right out of this area,” said US Marshal for Nevada Gary Schofield. Indian Springs is about 40 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

“Most of the time he just went into hiding, trying to avoid publicity and avoid prosecution,” Schofield added.

Duarte-Herrera was convicted in 2010 and is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

In 2007, Duarte-Herrera used a motion-activated bomb to kill a hot dog vendor in the Luxor Las Vegas casino parking lot. Duarte-Herrera placed the bomb in a coffee cup, which detonated a nearby car.

Investigators also found evidence that Duarte-Herrera planted a similar bomb in a Home Depot parking lot in 2006.

“The policies and procedures and any errors that occurred Friday through Tuesday must be addressed,” Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said Thursday.

Lombardo is the current Republican nominee for governor. He is in a close race with incumbent Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak, who he has asked to conduct a thorough investigation into how Duarte-Herrera pulled off the escape.

The governor’s office said Sisolak ordered an investigation Tuesday immediately after the escape was reported. Both Lombardo and Sisolak said staffing shortages at the Correctional Service were likely to blame for the incident.

“Failure to follow protocol or procedure cannot be tolerated when public safety is at stake,” said Meghin Delaney, press secretary for Sisolak. “Beyond this incident, addressing major staffing shortages remains a priority for the governor.”

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