Curtis Watson entered a plea today of no contest, which has the same effect as a guilty plea, for a murder charge. In a plea deal arranged, he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. He was also given 25 years on a charge of aggravated rape, and several more years on various other charges.

Watson broke out of a West Tennessee facility in 2019 and raped and killed Debra Johnson, who spent a bulk of her life working with the Tennessee Department of Corrections. He then led police on a multi-day manhunt before being captured.

Johnson’s family was in agreement with the life sentence without parole for Watson. He apologized to them for his actions in the courtroom today.

(picture used in story is of Watson the day he was captured after his escape)