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Mother of man acquitted of killing father fears he may be in Austin after escaping hospital

Police said Alexander Ervin got out of the North Texas State Hospital in Vernon on Sunday night. His mother said she's worried that he could be in Austin.

AUSTIN, Texas — A man accused of stabbing his father to death in Austin in 2013 is on the run. 

Alexander Ervin has been in a state health institution since 2014. Police said he got out of the North Texas State Hospital in Vernon on Sunday night.

Alexander's mother, Leslie Ervin, said she's worried he could be in Austin.

"I never, ever thought it would be possible that he would escape, ever," Leslie Ervin said about her son escaping the facility. 

Vernon Police posted on social media that Alexander Ervin is "armed and dangerous."

UPDATE: As of today, the escapee from the North Texas State Hospital has not been located. However, VPD has received...

Posted by Vernon Police Department, Vernon Texas on Monday, June 27, 2022

He was at the North Texas facility after being accused of murdering his father in 2013. A Travis County jury found him not guilty by reason of insanity.

"When he's on his meds, he's a sweetheart. I just talked to him Sunday morning. But when he's off his meds, all bets are off. He's psychotic. He killed his dad when he was off his meds under the delusion he was an imposter," Leslie Ervin said.

According to police, Alexander Ervin escaped his room on Sunday night, scaled an 8-foot security fence, and was last seen heading north. His mother said it's possible he could return to his hometown of Austin and that it's not her family she's worried about this time. 

"I'm worried for everyone else that has no idea what Lex can do. I'm worried for those people that might run into him in their backyard. That's what scares me the most right now," Leslie Ervin said.

RELATED: Texas man acquitted of murder by reason of insanity escapes hospital, police say

All she wants now are answers. She said she hopes her son is found and that no one gets hurt. 

"I need to know what happened, first of all, because it sounds like gross incompetence to me that anyone could leave that facility. Number two, I want to make sure that this does not happen again in the future," Leslie Ervin said. 

KVUE reached out to local law enforcement about this case, but we have not heard back. The Texas Department of Health and Human Services, which runs the hospital Alexander Ervin escaped from, told KVUE it can't comment on this case due to state law and HIPAA. 

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