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Couple suspected in Arizona murder escape during extradition

Tucson, Ariz. • A couple suspected in a Tucson murder have escaped after overpowering two security guards while being extradited from New York to Arizona, authorities said Tuesday.

Tucson police said Blane Barksdale, 56, and his 59-year-old wife Susan Barksdale escaped Monday evening in Blanding, Utah, south of Moab.

They were last seen in a pickup truck with an Arizona license plate and possibly driving through Arizona, according to police who said the couple was believed to be armed and dangerous.

The two were arrested May 24 in Henrietta, New York, in connection with the murder the previous month of Frank Bligh, 72, in Tucson.