‘Mr. Big’ convicted murderer gives Drumheller prison guards the slip

A dangerous convicted murderer snared in the infamous "Mr. Big" sting has escaped from custody while while returning to Drumheller from an escorted leave in Edmonton.

William Wade Bicknell, 42, overtook a lone guard driving him back from Edmonton Thursday night around 8 p.m.

Bicknell held the guard hostage and stole several firearms and an quantity of ammunition. Bicknell drove to a rural residence in the Chipman area, northeast of Edmonton, and forced his way into home.

Police say Bicknell knows the homeowner, and took the man’s 2009 Grey Chevrolet Impala Alberta Licence CXE – 602.

Prior to leaving the home, Bicknell disabled the telephone and corrections vehicle and threatened both men not to call police.

Both the homeowner and corrections employee were uninjured, who later contacted RCMP.

Bicknell is armed and dangerous.

He is heavily tattooed, 6-feet-6-inches tall and 402 lbs.

Bicknell made headlines after he confessed to murdering Angela Steer of Maple Ridge, B.C. on videotape to an undercover RCMP officer in 2001. Bicknell thought he was speaking to the boss of an organized crime organization that was recruiting him.

But the videotaped meeting in a hotel room turned out to be part an elaborate scheme by police. The undercover officer, nicknamed Mr. Big, insisted on knowing the whole story behind the murder before he could offer Bicknell assistance with manufacturing an alibi. Bicknell told the officer Steer was threatening to report his involvement with marijuana growing operations to police.

Bicknell said he dumped the body near a dam in Mission, B.C.

Bicknell was convicted of second-degree murder and given an automatic life sentence with no chance of parole for 10 years.

Bicknell received $7,000 for work he did for the phoney organized crime family without realizing the whole thing was a police set-up.

Bicknell has brown hair and hazel eyes with a fair complexion. He has a number of tattoos including full sleeves on both arms, a unicorn on his left shoulder, a cobra on his left arm, and a heart on his chest.

Drumheller Institution officials say police were notified immediately.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Bicknell is asked to contact police.

The Correctional Service of Canada will review the circumstances surrounding the incident and will take necessary measures to address any safety and security issues stemming from this incident, a spokesperson says.

Drumheller Institution is a federal penitentiary located 140 km northeast of Calgary.

There are currently 503 medium security and 64 minimum security inmates.

Calgary Herald