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Texas 7 ringleader executed
Posted: 02.29.2012 at 9:48 PM
Updated: 03.01.2012 at 5:45 AM
Rachel Welte

Rachel Welte is the Weekend News Anchor and a General Assignment Reporter.

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George Rivas, the ringleader of the Texas 7 Gang, was executed Wednesday in Texas.  / Courtesy: KDVR
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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- The so-called ringleader of the Texas 7 has been executed.

George Rivas was the leader of the fugitive Texas 7 Gang, who infamously pulled off Texas's biggest prison break 11 years ago.

The gang was caught a few weeks later in Colorado, about a month after they killed a 29-year-old Texas police officer.

Rivas was the second of the group to be executed.

The 41-year-old received lethal injection Wednesday evening in Huntsville.

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Looking back on the day of Rivas' death, many southern Colorado residents vividly remember when the Texas 7 were caught.

"Our daughter, who was quite young at the time when they escaped from Texas, was fearful they were going to come here, and sure enough they did," Woodland Park resident Claudine Huntington said.

"We were in Cripple Creek, and when it came on that the Texas 7 had been caught in Woodland, we thought 'oh my goodness,'" Woodland Park resident Marlene Graves said.

For Woodland Park, The Texas 7 Gang will always be a part of its history, as the small town unknowingly welcomed the men with open arms.

"They were here for about three weeks, and we did not know about it until after the event," Huntington said.

Four of the men were caught at an RV park in the town, and one committed suicide.

Meanwhile just a few miles away, two of the fugitives were hiding out at the old Holiday Inn near Garden of the Gods Road and I-25 in Colorado Springs.

"A van was found behind what was then the Hungry Farmer Restaurant, and it belonged to them," Cmd. Skip Arms with the Colorado Springs Police Department said.

Arms worked the scene from start to finish. His role was to update both the local, and national media.

"I did somewhere in the ballpark of 180 interviews in a 32 hour period," he said.

Arms said his department learned a lot during those few days.

He said looking back, it is still frightening to think about what could have happened.

"Those fugitives with the notoriety they had were here in our community," Arms said.

The surviving men are incarcerated on death row and are being held at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

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