Hercules murder suspect attempts jailbreak by carving cell window

HERCULES, Calif. -- A man accused of murdering a retired Hercules teacher in 2012 attempted an escape from jail.

Prosecutors say Darnell Washington tried to get out of a Contra Costa County Jail by carving his way out of a cell window and making a rope out of bed sheets.

Before his 2012 murder arrest, he successfully escaped from a San Bernardino jail using a similar method.

Washington and his wife have pleaded not guilty to the murder of 55-year-old Susie Ko. She was killed during a robbery, burglary and carjacking in Hercules.

During a preliminary hearing Monday, Washington's attorney asked the judge to remove his shackles but the judge denied the request when his new attempted escape was revealed.