Mother turns in 13-year-old double murder suspect after he escapes from North Carolina courthouse: Authorities

The boy had last been seen in the city of Lumberton.

November 7, 2019, 12:02 AM

Authorities have taken a 13-year-old double murder suspect back into custody a day after he escaped from police following a court appearance in North Carolina, officials said late Wednesday.

The boy was turned in to U.S. Marshals by his mother at around 10 p.m. and taken back to Cumberland Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Fayetteville, the Robeson County Sheriff's Office said.

The juvenile is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon, according to authorities.

The boy was in Robeson County Department of Social Services at 12:10 p.m. Tuesday for a hearing when he managed to break free, according to a press release from North Carolina Department of Public Safety and spokesman Matthew Jenkins. The department of social services is where the juvenile courthouse is located, Jenkins told ABC News.

The law enforcement agency said officials "have a high degree of concern for the safety of both the juvenile and the public, due to a prior history of assaultive and unpredictable behavior."

Police in Robeson County, N.C., search for a 13-year-old murder suspect identified as "Jericho W.," who escaped from detention on Nov. 5, 2019.
WTVD

He was last seen at the intersection of Hwy 72 and Country Club Rd. in Lumberton, which is located about 35 miles south of Fayetteville, according to the sheriff's office.

When he was at the juvenile courthouse, he was wearing a white T-shirt, beige pants and leg restraints without any shoes, the sheriff's office said.

The teenager has been housed at the Cumberland Juvenile Detention Center since Oct. 14, according to police.

Helicopters had been deployed in the search and numerous sheriff's departments, U.S. Marshals from Wilmington and Fayetteville, and the local police were out looking for the boy.

The details of his case were not immediately clear.

ABC News' Rachel Katz and Leonardo Mayorga contributed to this report.