Police track Texas prison escapees to Colorado motel, hope for peaceful resolution

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Motel rooms evacuated

Cohorts caught Monday

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (CNN) -- Police negotiating with two Texas prison escapees in a Colorado motel said Wednesday they hoped for a peaceful resolution.

Lt. Skip Arms of the Colorado Springs, Colorado, Police Department said authorities were willing to talk on the telephone with Patrick Murphy Jr. and Donald Newbury as long as necessary. The men were staying in a room at a Holiday Inn in Colorado Springs, Colorado, near Interstate 25.

RESOURCES

Key dates in the Texas prison escape

Texas Department of Criminal Justice report on the December 13 prison escape

Profiles of the escapees

"Our first and foremost objective is a peaceful conclusion," Arms told CNN. "So as long as we are in the talking stage, we figure that that's progress."

The fugitives spoke early Wednesday with a Colorado Springs TV anchor. Journalist Eric Singer spoke about five minutes with each man by telephone.

A tip led police to the Holiday Inn. Talks began about 10 p.m. local time Tuesday.

"(The inmates) are clear and lucid and have been talking with the negotiators constantly," Arms said.

He declined to discuss the nature of the talks.

On Tuesday, Newbury's wife had issued a plea to her husband to give himself up.

"Donald, please come home, or give yourself up," said Jacqueline Newbury. "We don't need anymore hurt. The kids have been hurt through all of this. I've been hurt, your mom, your sister. Your grandchildren."

Motel rooms evacuated

Authorities evacuated parts of the motel near the room where the men are staying. Among the agencies involved in tracking the men are the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Colorado Springs officials.

The FBI is the lead agency, Arms said.

On Tuesday, police found a Ford van the men had been driving. The van was abandoned in the parking lot of a Quality Inn, about two blocks from the Holiday Inn.

Also Tuesday, FBI officials announced they had recovered a second vehicle -- a Chevrolet Suburban -- that they believe the convicts used to travel from Texas to Pueblo, Colorado.

Newbury, convicted of armed robbery, and Murphy, convicted of sexual assault, were among seven inmates who escaped a maximum-security prison on December 13 near Kenedy, Texas. They remained at large more than a month, and police allege they murdered an Irving, Texas, police officer on Christmas Eve after robbing an Irving sporting goods store.

Cohorts caught Monday

On Monday, four of the seven inmates including alleged ringleader George Rivas were captured in the Woodland Park, Colorado, area. The town is about 20 miles northeast of Colorado Springs.

A fifth inmate killed himself Monday in a motor home in a Woodland Park mobile home park. Police were negotiating with him at the time.

Authorities say a search of the motor home produced more than $5,000 in cash and a cache of weapons. The convicts are thought to have been staying in the motor home about since about January 1.

Rivas and the other three inmates made their first court appearance Tuesday in Teller County, Colorado. Appearing via closed circuit television from the county jail, the men were advised they face extradition to Texas on escape and capital murder charges.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.