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By Root 756 0

at the entrance of D Block, talking with some of the inmates who were still wandering around. It was becoming more evident that the prison escapees would most likely be attacked with heavy gunfire, and so he started instructing the other inmates to return to their cells and take cover. With the sirens blaring and the distantly ringing phones echoing from various points in the cellhouse, Cretzer was starting to get panicky. He conveyed to the others that all of them would get “thechair” if Coy had killed any of the tower guards. He explained that if the guard staff was able to regain control, which would most likely be achieved by sheer brutal force, the hostages would certainly testify against them. Cretzer started pacing indecisively in front of the cells, and Shockley stood loyally by, awaiting Cretzer’s next directive. It was now becoming painfully clear that their escape had failed, and that the full wrath of the prison administration would soon fall upon them.

It was later reported that Captain Weinhold tried to reason with Cretzer at this point, but this only seemed to agitate him even more. Weinhold tried to reason that every point of the island would soon be swarming with armed guards, and that the conspirators didn’t stand even a remote chance of escaping. There was also a well-known rule that the Prison Bureau would not trade the life of a hostage for the freedom of an inmate. This was a hard and fast policy in the prison system, which still exists today. Thompson had completely given up on opening the yard door, and Cretzer hesitantly floated the idea that they should rid themselves of their hostages. If they killed the captives, then no one could ever identify the ringleaders. Thompson stood in agreement – they simply could not afford to leave any witnesses. At this point Shockley became manic and started yelling in front of the cells, “shoot’em all dead, go ahead and kill’em!” Shockley couldn’t control his rage, and he repeatedly urged Cretzer to pull the trigger. Weinhold calmly appealed to Cretzer to be sensible, and to stop before anyone was hurt. But Cretzer, with little sign of emotion, walked to the front of cell #404, cocked the hammer on the .45, and pulled the trigger, shooting Captain Weinhold straight in the chest. Shockley’s cheers resonated throughout the cellhouse, screaming wildly: “shoot the fuckers dead!”

A view of the blood-stained wall of cell #403, where four officers were shot in cold blood by Joseph Cretzer.

Weinhold fell to the floor of the crowded cell as Cretzer, in a manic rage, again took aim and opened fire. A bullet struck Miller, ripping through his chest and exiting through his arm. Corwin was hit in the face and crumpled to the ground, bleeding profusely. As Cretzer coldly aimed and pulled the trigger in a series of staccato shots, the other officers fell to the floor in a mass of human carnage. Cretzer then pulled out the ammunition clip and slowly assessed the fallen officers. The captives in the next cell listened in horror as he methodically loaded bullets into the clip and then snapped it back into place. He walked to cell #403 and calmly raised the pistol between the bars, taking aim at the terrified officers and firing off several more rounds. The piercing sounds of gunfire rang through the cellhouse as Simpson took a bullet in the abdomen, and Baker fell to the floor as another shot hit his left leg, shattering his femur. Sundstrom lay cringing on the floor, expecting pain to riddle his body, but surprisingly the bullets had missed him. The officers lay on the floor of the cramped cells, waiting helplessly for the next flurry of bullets.

Thompson and Shockley paced in front of the cells, watching for any signs of movement within. Finally Shockley yelled that he saw a “screw” moving, and begged Cretzer for the gun to finish him off. Cretzer walked to the front of cell #404 where Ernie Lageson bravely emerged from among the wounded officers, trying to calm the irrational inmates. Cretzer made some surprisingly positive comments to the others about how well he got