Former convict accused of keeping homeless woman captive

A former Texas death row inmate freed nearly 30 years ago is accused of keeping a homeless woman in his home in western Colorado for months and repeatedly raping her.

The Daily Sentinel reports that Claude Wilkerson sometimes allegedly kept the woman chained up with the help of a runaway teenager who also lived in his home in the ranching community of Gateway, about 50 miles from Grand Junction.

According to an arrest affidavit, authorities were tipped off by the runaway and the alleged victim begged deputies to arrest her on a minor warrant when they arrived.

Wilkerson was charged in the case Monday. The public defender’s office has declined to comment on the allegations.