17-year-old accused of murdering Wake County man escaped custody twice in 2024

A teen charged with murder was taken into custody after escaping a detention center in Granville County on Monday.

17-year-old Zane Cesnik was captured Monday night after being on the run for approximately eight hours. Monday was Cesnik’s second time escaping a facility in 2024. Authorities said Cesnik had a history of “unpredictable behavior,” prompting an all-out search that had the community on edge.

According to authorities, Cesnik escaped from the C.A. Dillon Youth Development Center in Butner around 2:20 p.m. Monday.

On Tuesday, Granville County Sheriff Robert Fountain Jr. said that Cesnik left a wooded area and walked onto Range Road. It was there someone saw him in a detention center uniform. Cesnik did not resist when approached by law enforcement and appeared coherent.

Officials would not elaborate on how Cesnik was able to get free, but did note he left during a recreation period.

Officials with the Department of Adult Corrections’ Prison Emergency Response Team took Cesnik into custody Monday around 10:05 p.m. at the intersection of Range Road and Roberts Chapel Road.

Immediately after Cesnik’s escape, an NC DPS advisory said division officials had “a high degree of concern for the safety of both the juvenile and the public, due to a prior history of unpredictable behavior.”

The center where Cesnik stayed houses 35 inmates and is considered a medium security facility.

Cesnik will be returned to “secure custody” at a Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention juvenile detention center, the NC DPS said.

Several local and state agencies, including the Granville County Sheriff’s Office, collaborated to find Cesnik. For security reasons, officials could not reveal where Cesnik was taken after being captured.

WRAL News reached out to several family members of Cesnik. Only one responded and said they had no comment.

Teen has escaped before

On Feb. 25, the Derby Fire Department posted on Facebook that a 17-year-old named Zane Cesnik had escaped from Richmond Correctional Institution in Richmond County.

“He is considered extremely dangerous,” the Facebook post read. “If you see him, please call 911 immediately. Do not approach or engage this suspect in any way.”

Later that same day, the fire department said the teen had been found and taken into custody.

When pressed for details Tuesday, authorities did not comment on Cesnik’s previous escape.

Teen charged with murder of 71-year-old Wake County man

In the summer of 2023, court documents said Cesnik was arrested and charged with the murder of 71-year-old Jerry Hicks in Wake County.

On June 28, 2023, Hicks’ family members requested a welfare check after they hadn’t heard from him. First responders found Hicks dead in his home.

At the time of Hicks’ murder, the suspect’s identity wasn’t disclosed due to age. The Wake County Sheriff’s Office filed a juvenile petition for murder, which is the equivalent of a murder charge for an adult – but specifically applies to minors who are accused of murder.

Cesnik was 16 years old when Hicks was murdered.

WRAL News asked the Wake County Sheriff’s Office about this case.

“He was charged with murder, however due to being a juvenile, no further information can be released regarding the case,” the sheriff’s office told WRAL News in response.