Category : Science and Education
Archive   : FBI10MST.ZIP
Filename : 01.BIO

DAVID JAMES ROBERTS, a prison escapee who was serving six life sentences for
murder, kidnaping, arson and rape, has been named to the FBI's list of "Ten
Most Wanted Fugitives."
Roberts is being sought by the FBI in connection with his October 24, 1986,
escape from the Indiana State Prison, Michigan City, Indiana, in which he
kidnaped two state correctional officers who were guarding him. Roberts made
his escape while returning from a medical facility in Indianapolis, Indiana,
where he had received treatment for numerous stabbing and gunshot wounds,
reportedly sustained at a prison riot. Enroute back to the prison, Roberts
produced a small handgun, handcuffed the two guards and forced them to accompany
him to Hammond, Indiana. The guards later escaped when Roberts stopped to make
a telephone call.
At the time of his escape, Roberts had been serving six life sentences, three of
which were commuted death sentences. In 1974, Roberts was convicted of murdering
a young married couple and their two-year-old daughter, who were killed in the
arson fire of their new home in Whiteland, Indiana. Roberts was also convicted
in 1974 for the kidnaping and rape of an Indianapolis woman as well as the
murder and kidnaping of her six-month- old son. The young boy died of exposure
after being left in a wooded area overnight. The boy's mother, who had been
brutally raped during the night, was found locked in the trunk of her automobile
the following day.
Born January 25, 1944, in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Roberts is described as a
6-foot-3-inch, 218-pound black male with black hair, brown eyes, a stocky build
and a light complexion. He has a small scar on the right side of his upper
lip, a seven-inch scar on his back near his shoulder blade, and a one-inch scar
on his right knee. Roberts reportedly also has numerous additional scars from
gunshot wounds, knives, and surgery. He has been known to wear wire-rimmed
prescription glasses in the past and has been described as being a "smooth
talker" who can appear very well educated. Roberts has used Social Security
number 360-34-9180 and the aliases Robert Davidson, David Roberts and James
Howard.
Roberts is the 409th fugitive to be placed on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted
Fugitives" list. He replaces Joseph William Dougherty, who was apprehended
without incident by the FBI on December 19, 1986, outside of a laundromat in
Antioch, California. Dougherty had been sought in connection with a series of
bank robberies throughout the states of Oklahoma, Arizona, Utah, Nevada,
Missouri and Wisconsin. Dougherty escaped from custody on June 19, 1985, while
being transported from the Federal Correctional Institution of El Reno,
Oklahoma, to the U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
A Federal warrant was issued October 28, 1986, at Hammond, Indiana, charging
Roberts with Unlawful Interstate Flight to Avoid Prosecution for the crimes of
Escape and Kidnaping.
Anyone with information regarding David James Roberts is requested to take no
action other than to contact the nearest office of the FBI, the number of which
can be found on the first page of most telephone directories. Roberts, who has
previously been convicted of murder, armed robbery, kidnaping, arson, and rape,
may be in possession of a firearm and should be considered armed, extremely
dangerous, and an escape risk.