Shane Pryor escape: Lawyer says recaptured teen fugitive was fearful of moving to adult prison
PHILADELPHIA - The lawyer representing recaptured teen prisoner Shane Pryor believes his client was fearful of moving up to an adult prison to face murder charges.
The four-day manhunt for Pryor, 17, came to an end on Sunday night when U.S. Marshals nabbed the teen murder suspect exiting a SEPTA bus.
Pryor fled from custody Wednesday during a medical visit to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for treatment of a hand injury.
Pryor and a suspected accomplice are awaiting trial in the 2020 murder of Tanya Harris, who was shot to death in a Northeast Philadelphia alleyway.
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"He knew he was going to go up to the adult prison where his co-defendant is, and I think that scared him," Defense Attorney Paul DiMaio said.
DiMaio believes that Pryor's escape is what motivated a Philadelphia judge to order him to be held at an adult prison days before his 18th birthday.
"There's going to be a lot less that we can do to protect him up there," DiMaio said. "It's going to be up to the prisons to protect him."
Pryor was taken to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia as many as 10 times during his incarceration for treatment of what DiMaio called "various medical issues."
"He had been to CHOP several times before for various medical issues and never tried to run," he said.
Investigators say last Wednesday he was uncuffed and with two prison staff members when he managed to escape a vehicle in the Emergency Room parking lot.
Soon after his escape, Pryor is said to have convinced a pedestrian to let him use their phone, which investigators believe he used to called 18-year-old Michael Diggs.
Diggs, who has since been charged for his part in the escape, allegedly picked up Pryor and the pair were last seen together on a street corner in Olney.
Investigators shared videos and images of Pryor during his time on the lam, including lobby security footage of him alone just minutes after his escape.
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Shane Pryor capture: How the teen Philadelphia prison escapee was caught
A dangerous Philadelphia criminal is back behind bars after a 5-day manhunt finally came to an end onboard a city bus this weekend. Officials provided a timeline of the search for Shane Pryor.
U.S. Marshals on Sunday night zeroed in on Pryor as he was boarding a SEPTA bus and arrested the teen, who was found with a handcuff key during a pat down search.
DiMaio said that it's "obvious" he had help while on the run, but Pryor's mother claims she never heard from her son during his four days of freedom.
"Obviously he did get help out there, but it must have been friends, it wasn't family," DiMaio said.
Pryor has been charged with Aggravated Assault, Hindering Apprehension, Escape, Simple Assault and Reckless Endangerment.
A second set of charges accuses Pryor of assaulting a Juvenile Justice Center teacher two weeks before his escape. The teacher didn't come forward with the allegations until recently, according to police, due to "threats that made her fearful for her safety."