In the late summer of 1967, a veteran law enforcement officer named James 'Jim' Stiner, a 65-year-old male, was working as a Sergeant for the Arizona Department of Corrections. On September 18th, he was tasked with transporting a prisoner from the Pinal County Superior Court. Unbeknownst to him, the prisoner had been passed a handgun by his wife during the court proceedings.
The inmate concealed the weapon until the return trip to the jail.
During the transport, the prisoner brandished the hidden handgun and abducted Sergeant Stiner. He forced Stiner to drive to a remote desert area, two miles outside of Coolidge. In this desolate location, the inmate shot and killed Sergeant Stiner. A manhunt was swiftly initiated, and within 24 hours, the suspect was located. He was captured following a shootout with members of the Casa Grande Police Department.
The man responsible for Sergeant Stiner's murder was convicted in March of 1968 and sentenced to two life terms in prison. However, the story did not end there. In 1976, the convicted killer managed to escape from prison with the help of his two sons, who smuggled a shotgun into the facility. This set off another intense search. During the escape, one of the sons was killed in a shootout with authorities at a roadblock.
Sergeant Stiner's killer initially fled the roadblock on foot and disappeared into the desert. For eleven days, he remained at large. Ultimately, his escape came to a grim end when he was found dead, having succumbed to heat exhaustion in the harsh desert environment. The surviving son and another accomplice were apprehended and faced charges for aiding the escape, as well as for their involvement in four unrelated murders.
