Who Is James Robert Jones? Fugitive On Run For 37 Years Captured In Florida

A murderer who escaped a Kansas maximum-security prison almost 40 years ago was captured on March 13 in Florida.

James Robert Jones – who assumed the name Bruce Walter Keith – had created a new life in the Sunshine State. The 59-year-old had even gotten married and worked with an air-conditioning company, reports AP.

The former Army private was convicted of murder and assault in the 1974 killing of a soldier at Fort Dix in New Jersey. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison for the attack, but escaped from the Fort Leavenworth prison in 1977. Following his escape, Jones became one of the Army’s 15 most-wanted fugitives.

U.S. Marshals Service tracked Jones down with the help of facial-recognition software. They matched a Florida driver’s license issued to Jones in 1981 under his alias with an old military photo of the fugitive. He was arrested at the air-conditioning business where he worked and admitted his true identity as he was being fingerprinted by authorities.

"The first words out of his mouth were, 'I knew this would catch up with me someday,'" said Barry Golden, a senior inspector with the U.S. Marshals Service.

His wife, 56-year-old Susan Keith, said she didn’t know her husband was a fugitive and living under a false name, said investigators.

As of Friday, Jones was being held without bail at the Broward County jail and awaiting transfer back to Fort Leavenworth. Golden says he could possibly face escape charges, but it remains unclear what his future sentence will be.