Manhunt for Texas killer in third day

HOUSTON, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Officials at a Texas jail where a convicted killer apparently walked out the door three days ago have taken responsibility for the escape.

Charles Victor Thompson escaped from the Harris County Jail in Houston Thursday.

He was sentenced to death Oct. 28 for the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend and her friend.

A multiple-agency search, including the U.S. Marshals Service and the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force, is coordinating a manhunt, CNN reports.

Chief Deputy Danny Billingsley said his department was embarrassed and that he felt "personally responsible" for the escape as the ranking officer on duty.

Lt. John Martin blamed the incident on "a series of lapses" that were "100 percent human error and absolutely could have been avoided.

The details of the escape are still being investigated. Thompson is thought to have met with a lawyer, although not the one on record for him, changed into civilian clothes and left out the front door, KHOU-TV, Houston said.

The families of Thompson's victims have been advised to go into hiding.