In the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday, the Constant Spring lock-up became the stage for a daring escape. Nine men — accused of crimes ranging from rape to murder — carved a path through steel and concrete, walking straight out of state custody.
By nightfall, eight were back in handcuffs. One was not.
That one is Alunzo Espute, nineteen years old, from Cassava Piece. His charge: murder. His profile: young, dangerous, and now the lone shadow from a shattered cell block.
The episode has raised a more unsettling question than how the escape was executed: how fragile are the walls that are supposed to separate Jamaica’s most dangerous accused from the public? Cutting through a grille and a door suggests planning. It also suggests negligence.
Police teams worked fast to mop up the breach, tracing and cornering fugitives in the hills and streets nearby. But the breach itself lingers — less about one fugitive on the run, and more about a justice system stretched thin.
For Constant Spring, the lock-up is no longer just a holding cell. It’s now a symbol — of a system tested, and for the moment, outwitted.
