Police: Mistakenly released inmate caught in W.Va.

AP – In this undated photo released by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, …

BALTIMORE – An inmate serving three life terms for attempted murderwas back behind bars Friday, a day after he conned his way out of a Baltimore prison with the help of his cellmate, authorities said.

Raymond T. Taylor, 26, of New York, was mistakenly released from the Maryland Correctional Adjustment Center on Thursday afternoon, corrections officials said. Taylor is serving three life sentences for shooting his ex-girlfriend and her two teenage daughters. Each was shot in the head.

"It was a chilling, execution-style attempted murder," said Margaret T. Burns, a spokeswoman for the Baltimore state's attorney's office. "It is a miracle that they survived."

Taylor didn't resist when he was caught after a manhunt Friday morning at the home of a childhood friend in Martinsburg, W.Va., and was in West Virginia state police custody, Baltimore police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.

Corrections officials said Friday that Taylor posed as his cellmate,William Johnson, who's now been charged with conspiracy to aid Taylor's escape. He had been scheduled for release Thursday, but now faces up to 10 additional years behind bars.

Maryland Commissioner of Correction J. Michael Stouffer said Thursday that Taylor should not have been placed in a cell with an inmate who was scheduled for release.

"That is not how our process goes. That was a mistake," Stouffer said.

Taylor was serving his sentence at a maximum-security prison in western Maryland and was taken Thursday morning to the prison from which he escaped. It is a former "Supermax" that's now used to house inmates who are awaiting court appearances or moving from one prison to another. It houses 540 inmates, 214 of which are federal prisoners.

Taylor was taken to MCAC because he was due in court on a matter not related to his convictions, Stouffer said.

At 1:45 p.m., a line officer called Johnson's name. Taylor went to the front of the cell and handed the officer Johnson's ID card, Stouffer said.

"He presented himself as the other inmate," Stouffer said. "He was asked for the ID number, and he (said) it."

The two inmates share similar physical characteristics, officials said Friday.

Twice more, different prison workers asked Taylor to identify himself, Stouffer said. Each time, Taylor recited Johnson's inmate's ID number. Taylor was released.

The mistake was discovered about two hours later when Johnson began kicking on the cell door, demanding to be released, officials said.

There was no evidence that prison staff deliberately aided the escape, officials said. An investigation was ongoing.

Taylor was convicted of lining up his former girlfriend and her two daughters, who were 14 and 16 at the time, on a bed and shooting them multiple times, including once each in the head, Burns said. The victims only survived because he used a small-caliber handgun, but they have long-term disabilities, Burns said.

Taylor abruptly pleaded guilty in 2005 to three counts of attempted first-degree murder on the second day of his trial, Burns said.