Face-tattooed neo-Nazi is sentenced to life for the killing of a prison guard

Curtis Allgier, a Utah inmate who was given a life sentence for killing a prison guard during a doctors appointment (AP)

Curtis Allgier, a neo-Nazi and inmate of Utah Department of Corrections offered a oddly affecting plea when sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for killing a prison guard five years ago. He said: "Just because I've got tattoos on my face and I'm proud of my race, I'm not some violent monster."

The murder happened during the course of an escape attempt when Allgier wrestled a gun from the guard, Stephen Anderson and escaped the University of Utah medical clinic, where he had been brought for an MRI scan.

As The Huffington Post reports, he was free for 45 minutes, before being apprehended following a high-speed car chase. He was wrestled to the ground by Eric Fullerton, a 59-year-old member of the public, who disarmed Allgier. Allgier responded by slashing his throat, but Fullerton survived, and was praised by the prosecutors for his heroism.

Allgier's criminal record stretches back to 1998 and includes charges of burglary, forgery and theft. He ;last made headlines in 2011, when his engagement to a mixed race woman was announced. His fiance said at the time "If he was so racist, he wouldn't be with someone with my background".