JACKSON COUNTY (WKZO) — It may just be a coincidence but the two most recent attempts to escape from a Michigan prison occured near the Super Bowl.
A convicted killer from West Michigan who tried to escape prison once before has been caught trying to do it again.
John Effinger III of Kent County has served 23-years of a life term for first degree murder.
The 51-year-old was in the process of scaling fences to get out of a vehicle entry area when he triggered an alarm at the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Jackson County Thursday night, and was recaptured.
The last time a killer escaped from a state prison was also a Super Bowl weekend.
Michael Elliott got as far as northern Indiana before he was recaptured. He actually used the big game as a distraction to aid in his escape.
Effinger was serving a term for breaking and entering in 1987 when he first attempted a jail break. That one also failed.
