11 Days of Terror: The Deadly Texas Prison Hostage Crisis That Gripped The Nation

By Robert Riggs

What You Will Learn

Chaos erupted inside the impenetrable Walls Unit prison in Huntsville during the scorching Texas summer of July 1974. 

Frederico ā€œFredā€ Gomez Carrasco, a notorious drug lord often compared to Pablo Escobar of today, orchestrated a takeover that would become the longest prison siege in U.S. history.

Carrasco, known as “The Mexican Connection,” smuggled guns into the prison and, along with two accomplices, took teachers and librarians hostage. 

For eleven harrowing days, they threatened a massacre if their demands were not met, keeping the nation on edge.

Join me as I explore this gripping saga of desperation, manipulation, and deadly confrontation. 

This is the story of the deadly Huntsville siege, a tale that continues to resonate nearly fifty years later.


READ 50th Anniversary of ā€œ11 Days in Hellā€ – The Deadly Hostage Siege at the Huntsville Prison

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Texas Crime Stories: Blood & Betrayal, by Robert Riggs

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Texas Crime Stories

Blood & Betrayal

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A preacher with a deadly secret. A mother whose crime shocked a community. A death-row phone call that exposed a prison scandal. Robert Riggs takes you behind the headlines through firsthand accounts, investigations, and the pursuit of justice.

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