Convicted murderer escapes from Mission Institution

Convicted murderer Shawn Merrick escaped March 31. (Handout)

An arrest warrant has been issued for a convicted murderer who escaped from a minimum security prison Tuesday.

Police say Shawn Merrick, 43, was serving time at Mission Institution for the second-degree murder of Shelley Lynn Devoe. Her body was found in Coquitlam in 2006.

"He was serving a sentence for murder and has previous convictions for robbery and drug offences, so we would urge the public not to approach him," said Sgt. Shaun Wright in an email.

Merrick is described as 5’8” tall and 141 lbs. He has a fair complexion, blue eyes, and brown hair. Police say he has a significant burn scar on his right forearm, and a two-inch scar on his neck.

He also has several tattoos, including skulls on his left arm, a heart with the name “Jade” on his right upper back, a dragon on his right upper arm and a skull on the left side of his chest.

Merrick is not the first murderer to escape from Mission Institution. Norman Riel, 43, still hasn't been arrested since his escape in August 2014.

Riel was serving an indeterminate sentence after being convicted of the second-degree murder of Patrick Pugh, who was shot in the head during a home invasion at his East Vancouver penthouse in September 1994.

At the time of Riel's escape, the Union of Canadian Correctional Workers said Mission Institution needed better inmate screening, claiming 42 per cent of prisoners at the minimum security prison are convicted killers.

Anyone with information on Merrick's whereabouts is asked to contact the Mission RCMP at 604-826-7161, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.