NATCHEZ &045; Escaped capital murder suspect Steven Kirkley was caught Wednesday morning in Edinburg, Texas.

Kirkley, who escaped from the Marion County jail on Sept, 5, hadn’t been traced since Sept. 20, when he was linked to a business on Homochitto Street in Natchez.

He had also been connected to a business break-in on Liberty Road Sept. 18. Natchez Police searched wooden areas and vacant properties for several days, but found no more signs of him.

Kirkley evidently stayed in the area for several more days, Police Chief Mike Mullins said. Arresting officers in Texas found him with a 2004 Dodge Ram vehicle that had been reported stolen on Monday from a dealership in Natchez. The vehicle was last seen on Sunday.

Police officers found him at a convenience store pay phone in Edinburg around 8 a.m. Wednesday.

Edinburg is in the southern tip of Texas.

Kirkley will be extradited to Marion County. He now faces additional charges of escape and grand larceny of a vehicle.

Mullins said he suspected Kirkley made it so far because authorities between Natchez and Texas were focused on Hurricane Rita.

&uot;We are very glad he is incarcerated again,&uot; Mullins said. &uot;We kept the pressure on and we assumed he had probably left town because he hadn’t been sighted.&uot;

The Natchez car dealership will arrange for the car to be returned to them.

Kirkley was in the Marion County jail for allegedly killing Columbia realtor Janell Hatton last October. He reportedly broke into her house to steal a water jug, shot her, drove her to a rural area, suffocated her and buried her in a shallow grave. He has not yet gone to trial.

The heavily tattooed 27-year-old has been featured on &uot;America’s Most Wanted.&uot; His profile can be viewed on the site at www.americasmostwanted.com, search under fugitives.

The Web site says he escaped from the Marion County jail by crawling through air vents.