HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – A man who admitted to killing two teenagers in northwest Harris County was arrested in Brooklyn after spending nearly three years on the run, following a judge’s decision to let him remain free over a weekend before he was supposed to begin serving a 50-year prison sentence.
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Harris County double murder convict captured after fleeing before 50-year prison sentence
What they’re saying:
That admitted killer of two teens, Elvio Mancebo, spent almost three years on the run until his arrest Thursday in Brooklyn, New York.
Visiting Judge James Anderson apparently thought it was a good idea to give Mancebo one last weekend of freedom. It wasn’t.
Elvio Mancebo
How many people would return to court knowing they would be spending the next 50 years in prison? Most people would take their chances.
Mancebo took his, and he got almost three years of freedom before his lengthy prison stint.
The backstory:
Back in 2017, Mancebo shot and killed two teenage men at the Steeplechase Apartment complex in northwest Harris County. He was charged with capital murder.
In 2019, Mancebo was released from jail with his bond set at $325,000.
“While out on bond, he racks up five bond violation reports, he’s also charged with assault,” said Andy Kahan with Crime Stoppers.
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After Mancebo’s bond is revoked twice, his bond amount is raised to $750,000, which he’s able to make so he walks out of jail again.
On Friday, October 20, 2023, Mancebo pleads guilty to capital murder and is sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Visiting Judge James Anderson allowed Mancebo to remain on bond for the weekend, telling him to return to court on Monday to begin serving 50 years.
The judge told him failing to return would up his sentence to 60 years.
Needless to say, Mancebo didn’t return that Monday, spending the next two and a half years on the run.
“None of this should have ever happened. No one should have ever been placed at risk,” Kahan said. “If you plead guilty to capital murder, that should be it. End of story.”
What’s next:
In court documents, Judge James Anderson states he wants to be the presiding judge after Mancebo is captured. We’ll see if that happens.
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