AUSTIN – Billy Wayne Gilliland, 58, a Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitive, is now in custody after being captured April 14 in Harris County. Gilliland, a member of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas gang, was wanted for parole violation and evading arrest/detention with a vehicle. The arrest was the result of a tip, and a reward up to $7,500 will be paid.
Working off tip information, DPS Special Agents located and apprehended Gilliland at a residence in Cloverleaf, east of Houston. DPS Troopers and Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies also assisted in the apprehension.
Gilliland received a life sentence for murder in Liberty County in the 1980s, and was released on parole in March 2014. In October 2016, Gilliland absconded from a halfway house in Del Valle, Texas, and remained at large until his capture. His criminal history also includes escape, burglary and drug charges. For more information, see his captured bulletin.
So far in 2017, DPS and other agencies have arrested five Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives and Sex Offenders, including two sex offenders and four gang members, and $22,500 in rewards have been paid for tips that resulted in arrests.
To be eligible for the cash rewards, tipsters MUST provide information to authorities using one of the three following methods:
- Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).
- Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about, and then clicking on the link under their picture.
- Submit a Facebook tip by clicking the "SUBMIT A TIP" link (under the "About" section).
All tips are anonymous – regardless of how they are submitted – and tipsters will be provided a tip number instead of using a name.
DPS investigators work with local law enforcement agencies to select fugitives for the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitive and Sex Offender lists. You can find the current lists – with photos – on the DPS website.
Do not attempt to apprehend these fugitives; they are considered armed and dangerous.
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