Link between parolee, prison chief's slaying found

DECATUR, Texas -- Shell casings from a Texas shootout with a white supremacist Colorado parolee are the same make and caliber as those found at the home of Colorado's prison chief after he was killed, according to legal papers.

It's the closest link yet between Evan Spencer Ebel, who died in the shootout, and the slaying of Tom Clements, who was fatally shot when he opened his door Tuesday evening.

Authorities also say they found a Domino's pizza bag and a jacket or shirt in the trunk of the car Ebel was driving when Texas deputies tried to pull him over -- a link to the slaying of a pizza deliveryman whose body was found Sunday.

In a case that's been confusing in how the suspect is connected to each crime, search warrant documents released yesterday in Texas brought some clarity.

Ebel, 28, is a Colorado parolee with a long record of convictions beginning in 2003.

Denver police said they were confident Ebel was involved in the death of Nathan Leon, 27, the pizza deliveryman whose body was found Sunday.

They've been less forthcoming about his link to Clements' death, aside from saying the car Ebel was driving during the shootout in Texas is similar to one seen at Clements' home the night of the shooting.

Authorities said they were running ballistics tests to see if they could conclusively link the gun Ebel used in Texas with the one that killed Clements. -- AP