13 Year Old Arrested For Double Murder Escapes Custody At Courthouse

Authorities say a 13-year-old suspect in a double homicide has escaped from a courthouse in eastern North Carolina.

The Robeson County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday the teenager identified as Jericho W., escaped from Juvenile Court around noon. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

According to CNN, He was last seen in a white T-shirt and beige pants, wearing leg restraints without shoes, near the facility at the intersection of North Carolina Highway 27 and Country Club Road in Lumberton.

The boy is described as having brown eyes and brown hair, standing about 5 feet tall and weighing about 110 pounds.

Jericho W. and his codefendant 19-year-old Derrick Deshawn Hunt, are charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the killings of two brothers found dead inside a home last month.

He was in court to face two counts of first-degree murder and a charge of robbery with a dangerous weapon, the sheriff’s office said. But upon his escape, several law enforcement agencies are looking for him, including by air with the help of helicopters, authorities said.

Officials have “a high degree of concern for the safety of both the juvenile and the public” because of his “prior history of assaultive and unpredictable behavior,” the state Department of Public Safety said.

Details about how the boy escaped weren’t immediately released to the public.