Texas Seven

Michael Anthony Rodriguez, 38, was serving a 99-to-life term for contracting the murder of his wife by Rolando Ruiz Jr., who was later executed for the crime on March 7, 2017.

[22] Using several well-planned ploys, the seven convicts overpowered and restrained nine civilian maintenance supervisors, including their boss, four correctional officers, and three uninvolved inmates, at approximately 11:20.

The escape occurred during lunch and at count time; the "slowest" period of the prison day, when there was less surveillance of certain locations, such as the maintenance area.

Once each victim was knocked unconscious, the offenders removed some of his clothing, tied him up, gagged him, and placed him in an electrical room behind a locked door full of electronics, including warning alarms.

The group impersonated prison officers on the phone and created false stories to ward off suspicion from authorities.

[24] Realizing that they were running out of funds, they robbed a Radio Shack in Pearland, Texas, in Greater Houston, the following day.

[25] On December 19, four of the members checked into an Econo Lodge motel in Farmers Branch, Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, under assumed names.

[citation needed] Following an episode of the television show America's Most Wanted that first aired on January 20, 2001, several people phoned in possible sightings of the suspects at the Coachlight Motel and R.V.

[29] Media was tipped off when a guest asked KKTV chief photographer Mike Petkash and reporter Jeannette Hinds why he could not get to the hotel.

In the early hours of January 24, a local KKTV television anchorman, Eric Singer, was taken into the hotel where he interviewed the two by telephone while on camera.

The remaining two members are incarcerated on death row at the Polunsky Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, located in West Livingston.

However, his execution was stayed by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals on October 4, 2019, due to concerns of racial and religious discrimination from his trial judge.

On March 25, 2011, Investigation Discovery aired an episode about the case on the show FBI: Criminal Pursuit, subtitled "The Deadly Seven".

One year later, on March 23, 2012, Investigation Discovery aired an episode of Werner Herzog's documentary series On Death Row, which dealt with Rivas and Garcia.

[50] On December 22, 2017, rapper Jay-Z released a music video for his song 'Legacy', in which a dramatized version of events is depicted by several well known actors.

[citation needed] In Spring 2019, ITV UK produced the series: Death Row: Countdown To Execution hosted by Susanna Reid.