This article was originally published in The Examiner on April 13, 2017.
By Eleanor Skelton
Staff Writer
The Texas Department of Public Safety announced that a man with ties to Liberty County is on the Texas 10 Most Wanted fugitive list.
Billy Wayne Gilliland, 58, is wanted for a parole violation on a murder charge and evading arrest for a reward up to $7,500. He received a life sentence for murder in Liberty County in 1988 and was released on parole in March 2014, Texas DPS said in a news release.
His other charges include burglary and possessing and delivering controlled substances.
Gilliland is a confirmed member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas and has ties
to Liberty County, Baytown, Conroe and Midway, according to Texas DPS.
He was last seen at the Austin Transitional Center in Del Valle, Texas, where he was placed on Oct. 5, 2016. A warrant was issued for his arrest on Oct. 26 after he escaped.
Gilliland is 6 feet tall and weighs 180 pounds, according to a description released by Texas DPS.
He has tattoos on his back, chest, both arms and left shoulder as well as a scar on his left forearm. Other known aliases are Chad Desselle and Chad Wayne Dessele.
He should be considered armed and dangerous, Texas DPS said.
To be eligible for a cash reward, tipsters must provide information to authorities by calling the Texas Crime Stoppers hotline at (800) 252-TIPS (8477), texting the letters DPS followed by a tip to 274637 (CRIMES), or submitting a web tip through the Texas 10 Most Wanted website or Facebook page or the DPS mobile app.
Texas DPS said they guarantee that all tips are anonymous regardless of how they are submitted.
Eleanor Skelton 