• Updated

This photo provided by the Alabama Department of Corrections shows Gregory Hunt, who is scheduled to be executed in Alabama on Tuesday, June 10, 2025. He was convicted of the 1988 murder of Karen Lane. (Alabama Department of Corrections via AP)

Convicted killer and recaptured prison escapee Grant Hardin, known as the “Devil in the Ozarks,” has been transferred to the Varner SuperMax prison southeast of Little Rock, Arkansas prison authorities announced Saturday. After a nearly two-week-long search in the rugged mountains of northern Arkansas, authorities recaptured Hardin on Friday 1.5 miles northwest of the prison from which he escaped. Residents of the nearby town of Calico Rock say they were surprised to learn that Hardin had stayed so close to the prison. Benton County Prosecutor Bryan Sexton, who oversaw Hardin’s convictions for murder and rape, said his escape had disrupted the lives of Hardin's victims and witnesses in the cases.