'Escaped Convict' In St. Clair County Never Actually Escaped

ST. CLAIR COUNTY, AL — A convicted murderer was said to have escaped from the St. Clair Correctional Facility early Tuesday morning during work detail, but Steve Ray Murphy, 64, actually never left the prison grounds, reports now say.

A report from the Alabama Department of Corrections said Murphy escaped just after midnight Tuesday and was captured around 8 a.m.

The initial report of his escape was sent out because corrections officers said Murphy was not where he was supposed to be at midnight, an ADOC report said.

Murphy was located on prison grounds later in the morning.

Murphy was convicted of murder in 1984 and sentenced to life in prison. He reportedly attempted escape the prison in 2001.