Killer among inmates escaping from prison

CONCORD, N.H. -- A convicted killer and two other inmates escaped from a state prison on a busy street Wednesday by cutting through two fences.

Officials said the men shed their green jumpsuits soon after escaping, but would not say where the jumpsuits were found.

The prison was locked down and police -- some with dogs -- went door to door through nearby neighborhoods. State police and National Guard helicopters joined the search.

State police Col. Gary Sloper said authorities strongly believe the inmates had outside help, but declined to elaborate.

"Right now my concerns are, where are they, and how do we get them back," Sloper said.

Officials said it was the first escape in at least a decade from the medium-security area of the prison, north of downtown.

Corrections officers on routine rounds found the holes in the fences no more than 20 minutes after the morning escape, Sloper said. He declined to say how the three might have gotten tools to cut the fences, but said he believed they were at their prison woodworking jobs when they escaped.

Sloper said there were no indications of break-ins or stolen cars near the prison, which sits along a busy street of homes and businesses. Behind the prison are many acres of woods and old granite quarries.

The inmates were identified as Kevin Gil, Philip J. Dick, and Christopher McNeil.

Gil, 31, was sentenced in 2001 to 45 years to life after pleading guilty to stabbing a man to death in a motel room in 2000.

Dick, 23, was serving 15 to 30 years for attempted murder of police officers during a 1999 shootout.

McNeil, 35, was imprisoned for parole violations on drug convictions and other crimes. State police said he was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 1994.

Corrections Department spokesman Jeff Lyons said another inmate tried to climb over one of the razor-wire fences in the early 1990s but was cut badly and caught.

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Associated Press writer Alex Ortolani contributed to this story.

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On the Net:

Corrections Department: http://www.state.nh.us/doc