Delia D'Ambra

Ed told the publication, quote, My brother was a professional law enforcement officer.

He was as good a peace officer as anybody will ever find.

He's one of the last like him.

As far as I'm concerned, this thing isn't over yet.

End quote.

And Ed's words could not have been more true.

For several weeks after his conviction, Claude was allowed to be out on bond until his sentencing hearing.

At that proceeding in early January 1983, a judge ruled that he would serve 30 years in prison with a minimum of 10 years behind bars before he'd be eligible for parole.

A few months after being shipped off to prison though, Claude got in trouble for allegedly colluding with another inmate to, wait for it, try to escape.

Reportedly, Claude and this other guy were loitering in a section of the medium security prison compound that they shouldn't have been, and so the warden suspected they were trying to hide out there until it got dark so they could make a run for it.

For that offense, Claude was put in disciplinary detention, but he later disputed the accusation and actually ended up filing a lawsuit against the prison, which was eventually settled.

And yeah, I wish I could say that was that, but no, this story has just one more twist.

Claude got another infraction in prison for having contraband items in his cell.

And then in March of 1986, after having a post-conviction appeal denied, he finally did it.

He escaped from prison.

According to an article in the Idaho Statesman, Claude had been seen at the ball field at Idaho State Penitentiary around 7.35 p.m.

on Sunday, March 30th, 1986.

when out of nowhere, he was just gone.

Prison staff conducted an inmate count a few hours later around 10 p.m., and he was nowhere to be found.

So they looked at who'd last visited him, and that's when they realized a woman from Nevada had been the last person to speak with him.