The family of Gary and Linda Hass, a couple that lost their lives at the hands of prison escapees, have filed a personal injury lawsuit against the company that operated the prison, and the state of Arizona, as reported by Arizona Central.
The two were shot to death and then burned in their travel trailer. A rancher in New Mexico found them on August the 4
th, 2010.
It was just a few days after three inmates of a privately run prison near Kingman had escaped. Investigators quickly linked the inmates to the murders, and an nationwide manhunt ensued.
Tracy Province, an accomplice, was captured in Wyoming on August 8, John McCluskey and Casslyn Welch were captured in Apache County more than a week later.
Funerals for both parents, out-of-state court hearings and meetings with attorneys, have been taking over the life of Cathy Byus, Gary and Linda’s daughter.
Also during this time, Cathy Byus gave birth to her first child, one that would have been Gary and Linda’s first grandchild.
The lawsuit was filed on March 17. It is alleged that security flaws, adding up over several years, contributed to the inmate’s escape.
The suit sites gross negligence in the 7 year-old prison facility.
Jacob Diesselhorst, Cathy Byus’ attorney, said, “They are still struggling every day with this. The purpose of this lawsuit is to get justice . . . not just for this family - the whole public is at risk.
For months and months, this prison was being run like a day care.”
The lawsuit represents a $40 million notice of claim that was made by the family in October. A jury is expected to determine the amount the family will gain in an eventual reward.
The Utah-based Management and Training Corp. is leading the state’s investigation and is expected to figure heavily in the plaintiff’s legal action.
Deficiencies with training and equipment was found by the Arizona Department of Corrections review. Furthermore, a faulty alarm system – that frequently resulted in false alarms – was also often ignored when sounded.
As the state failed to oversee the prison, they are also named in the suit.
Diesselhorst said, “The state and MTC had notice of these problems”. He also suggested that maybe the private prison company “was cutting corners to make profits.”
Joining McCluskey and Province in the escape on July 30 was Daniel Renwick.
Due to the faulty alarm system it took two hours before prison staff notified state corrections officials that the three men had escaped.
Setting off in different directions, McCluskey, Province and Welch ended up at a rest stop in New Mexico. It was there that they decided to target the Haas couple to procure their camping trailer.
McCluskey shot the Haases to death and then set fire to their trailer to hide the evidence for as long as possible.
If you have lost a loved one because of someone else’s error, you may be due monetary compensation for your loss. Contact a personal injury lawyer to help you with your case today!