Trending Topics

Drug Suspect Who Escaped Police in ’96 Found Dead in Trunk of Speeding Car

The Associated Press

ELKTON, Md. (AP) -- Police who stopped a speeding car found two bodies bound, gagged and shot in the trunk, and one victim was identified as a New York drug suspect who escaped from police in 1996.

The driver and a passenger have been in jail since Nov. 6, when a Maryland trooper stopped the car on Interstate 95, searched the car and found the bodies.

Maryland investigators went to New York on Wednesday to confirm by fingerprints the identity of Willie Robinson, 35, of New Rochelle, N.Y., city police Lt. William Allison said.

Robinson, 35, was charged with selling drugs in 1996. After complaining of chest pains in jail, he was taken to a hospital where he slipped out of handcuffs and escaped. Arrest warrants have been pending since then.

The other victim was Alexandria Withers, 21, of Greensboro, N.C., whose body was identified from her tattoos. Investigators said the two were last seen alive Nov. 5 between Greensboro and Danville, Va.

The driver, James Moore, 39, of Andrews, S.C., and his passenger, Porsha Harper, 36, of Greensboro, are being held on an accessory to murder charge.

Maryland State Police are handing the investigation. A spokesman did not immediately return calls for comment Friday.