Robert Lee Burns
Robert Lee Burns (1930/31 – 2002) was an American bank robber who was the subject of an interstate battle over an issue of parole of convicted criminals.
In 1963, Burns drove the getaway car after a bank robbery in Sacramento, California. One of the robbers shot and killed a police officer, resulting in felony murder convictions for the three robbers. They were sentenced to life in prison.
At the time of the robbery, Burns was on parole for a crime in Oregon.
California transferred Burns to Oregon to serve out the remainder of his Oregon conviction. Oregon, however, inexplicably released Burns after he had served his time in that state, rather than returning him to California to serve out the remainder of his life sentence there. Considered a fugitive, Burns was arrested several times, but fought and won battles against extradition each time, including being granted a dramatic last-minute stay of extradition in 2001: after initially giving Burns to California Department of Corrections officers for return to California, Oregon State Police cars pulled over their car just two miles from the California border.[1]
California lost track of Burns until 2001. Finding his name on a list of fugitives, California officials demanded that Burns be returned to serve out his sentence. Oregon, however, felt that Burns had rehabilitated himself and was living an honest life, and refused to extradite him.[2]
Burns died on January 22, 2002 without having been returned to California.[3]
References
External links
- Out on Parole 26 Years, Suddenly a Fugitive - New York Times
- Man's death at 71 at last ends effort to return him to prison (AP)