An attorney representing a Pennsylvania teenager accused of murder said his family believes the boy escaped police custody because he’s “terrified” of being tried as an adult and sent to prison.
Shane Pryor, 17, was 14 years old when he was arrested in 2020 in connection with the killing of Tanya Harris in Philadelphia. He is accused of shooting her in the head on Oct. 15 that year, after he and a friend tried to solicit sex from her, CBS reported, citing an arrest affidavit.
Harris’ body was found in an alcove on Oct. 10, 2020, and investigators identified Pryor as one of the people in surveillance video from the location, according to the outlet.
Police stopped Pryor five days later, and he allegedly told officers he solicited sex from Harris, but was not the one who shot her. He said another person was with him, and that this person killed Harris, but Pryor did not offer a name, according to CBS.
Pryor had been in juvenile detention since Oct. 2020 and has not received a trial. He has maintained his innocence the entire time, his attorney, Paul DiMaio, told The Associated Press.
Pryor escaped police custody on Wednesday after he was taken to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to treat an injury to his hand, Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert Clark said at a press conference on Friday.
According to Clark, Pyror asked front desk staff to use the phone but was denied, prompting him to leave the building. He soon found a woman on the street who allowed him to use her phone, after he claimed he was just in a fight.
Pyror allegedly called Michael Diggs, a friend, to come pick him up….
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