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  • Teen murder suspect Shane Pryor has been caught. Timeline of what led to his capture

    Teen murder suspect Shane Pryor has been caught. Timeline of what led to his capture

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    Escapee Shane Pryor was captured by the United States Marshal Service on Sunday, according to police.

    Police said the 17-year-old was taken into custody by the Marshals at 3rd and the Boulevard without incident. He is being transported to the PPD Homicide Unit.

    Pryor escaped from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in University City on Wednesday. He was being taken there to be treated for a hand injury and escaped from the escorting staff during transport, according to investigators.

    Philadelphia police said the media and public played a role in Pryor being captured.

    Pryor — who was charged as an adult in a 2020 homicide — was not in handcuffs or shackles when he escaped, authorities said.

    17-year-old Shane Pryor, a murder suspect that escaped from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on Wednesday, Jan. 24, has been captured.

    How the U.S. Marshals captured Shane Pryor

    Pryor was on the loose for five days before being captured. Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert Clark provided a detailed timeline of how the U.S. Marshals were able to capture Pryor.

    On Jan. 24, at 11:51 a.m., Pryor escaped from his escorting staff at CHOP.

    At 11:55 a.m., Pryor entered the lobby of the Hub for Clinical Collaboration building at CHOP. Investigators said Pryor asked an employee at the desk if he could use her cellphone but the employee told him no.

    At 11:57 a.m., Pryor asked a civilian woman on Civic Boulevard if he could use her phone to which she said yes, according to investigators. Pryor then called his associate, 18-year-old Michael Diggs, and asked him to pick him up, officials said.

    At 12:29 p.m., Diggs arrived on the 3500 block of Civic Boulevard in a Ford Fusion, investigators said. Pryor entered the vehicle which left University City, according to officials.

    At 1:13 p.m., Pryor and Diggs were captured on surveillance video at a corner store at the intersection of Mascher Street and Godfrey Avenue, officials said.

    At 2 p.m., Pryor and Diggs left the area inside the Ford Fusion, according to Clark.

    At 3 p.m. Diggs dropped Pryor off on the 1100 block of East Upsal Street, Clark revealed at a press conference on Sunday after Pryor’s capture.

    At 6:38 p.m., Philadelphia Police pulled over the Ford Fusion on the 200 block of East Logan Street. Investigators said Diggs was inside the car but Pryor was not. Diggs was then taken into custody for questioning.

    On Thursday, Diggs was charged with hindering apprehension, escape, use of communication facility and criminal conspiracy.

    Clark then provided new details as to the whereabouts of Pryor during the days he was on the loose.

    On Jan. 25., at 10:20 a.m. Clark said there was a confirmed sighting of Pryor on the 4300 block of Marshall Street.

    At 11:40 a.m. that same day the escaped teen was seen on video at 8th and Bristol Street inside a corner store.

    On Jan. 26., at noon Pryor was seen on surveillance purchasing pants inside of a Target along the 7400 block of Bustleton Ave., Clark shared on Sunday.

    Shane Pryor caught on Target surveillance camera.

    The 17-year-old had on the same clothing he was seen in previously. An employee called in the tip that Pryor was seen at the Target which led U.S. Marshals there.

    Clark said there were no sightings of Pryor on Saturday.

    On Jan. 28., Clark said they had credible information that Pryor was going to be back in his home area near 8th and Bristol streets.

    Around 6:30 p.m., one of those officers saw Pryor at 9th and the Boulevard. By the time they got over there, Pryor had boarded a SEPTA bus heading north on the Boulevard.

    U.S. Marshals pulled over the SEPTA bus at 3rd and Boulevard, removed Pryor from the bus, confirmed his identity and arrested him without incident.

    “Our goal was to shrink his world, cut his associates off and that’s exactly what we accomplished today,” Clark said.

    During Pryor’s arrest Clark said a thorough pat-down was conducted and a handcuff key was found on him.

    The handcuff key found on Pryor. A screen grab of Clark demonstrating how the handcuff key works.

    Clark said handcuff keys are easy to get, anyone can get one from Amazon or a store.

    Pryor, is charged as an adult in a 2020 homicide, officials say. He has spent the last three and a half years in custody waiting for a trial.

    “Quite simply I think he was desperate. He was desperate. We had cut his resources off. We had forced him to go places probably because we cut all those resources off. I don’t think he had a choice,” Clark said.

    Further, Clark shared that they are aware of there being more associates of Pryor who helped him when he escaped.

    “This escape investigation is still being conducted. There’s a very good chance you’re going to be prosecuted. We know who a lot of the players are here. We know a lot of the people that were assisting him. And we may not have stepped to them yet because we wanted them in play. But there’s a good chance some of them might be prosecuted,” Clark said.

    When Pryor escaped from prison staff at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on Wednesday, the NBC10 Investigators looked into his open murder case and why it has taken so long to go to trial.

    A judge recently denied Pryor’s request to be tried as a juvenile, and his lawyer now thinks that may be why Pryor escaped.

    “Okay, if you’re innocent, don’t have your fight from the streets, have it in the court room,” Clark said.

    Pryor was just 14 years old when police said he shot Tanya Harris in the head and killed her in a rear alley along Torresdale Avenue, according to court documents.

    A court affidavit goes on to say that Pryor said it was the other juvenile that he was with who shot Harris.

    But, police then said that Pryor’s statement to them conflicted with video at the scene, so they charged him with murder and related offenses.

    “I have heard the family of Shane Pryor claiming his innocence for the murder which he has been charged,” Clark said. “However, it is my contention, that flight is an indicator of guilt.”

    “I’m glad he was taken into custody without incident and is safe. Now the focus can return to defending him in court,” Pryor’s attorney Paul DiMaio said.

    Clark notes this is the seventh escape investigation USMS has had in the past year.

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    Kaleah Mcilwain

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  • A look at why Shane Pryor’s 2020 murder case hasn’t gone to trial yet

    A look at why Shane Pryor’s 2020 murder case hasn’t gone to trial yet

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    The escaped teen murder suspect, Shane Pryor, is charged as an adult in a 2020 homicide, officials say.

    Pryor has spent the last three and a half years in custody waiting for a trial.

    When Pryor escaped from prison staff at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia on Wednesday, the NBC10 Investigates team looked into his open murder case and why it has taken so long to go to trial.

    Since his arrest happened at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he has faced some initial court delays.

    But, since then his case has had a number of setbacks including several defense attornies.

    Before Shane Pryor was known as the latest Philadelphia prisoner escapee, he was another docket number in a lengthy court calendar.

    In 2020, the then-14-year-old was charged with murdering Tanya Harris.

    His case is one of nearly 37,000 open criminal cases awaiting trial.

    Pryor has his preliminary arraignment on Oct. 26, 2020, and since then he’s had five different lawyers representing him.

    Each new attorney led to further delays in the case.

    Earl Raynor Jr. was appointed by the court to defend Pryor in 2022. He was Pryor’s fourth attorney.

    “He had his preliminary hearing and then the case didn’t go anywhere for 21 months, then I was appointed,” he told NBC10.

    Raynor then requested the court pay for psychological evaluation for Pryor to help in the argument to try him as a juvenile.

    “I immediately filed a petition to decertify him. I was surprised that hadn’t been done,” Raynor explained. “I really thought that a psychiatrist could have established that at his age, he did not have the emotional or psychological maturity to fully appreciate the nature of his acts, and therefore should not have been tried as an adult.”

    But, Raynor says it took a while to schedule the psychiatrist and get the report to the judge.

    Then, the judge overseeing Pryor’s case had replaced Raynor in January of last year and a fifth attorney was appointed.

    The judge denied the motion to move the case to juvenile court in December of 2023.

    Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner says his office agreed with keeping the case in adult court.

    “We believe that he is criminally responsible for a homicide. We believe that he should be held accountable for that,” Krasner said.

    As for the delay in Pryor’s case, Krasner says it is normal to take that long given the pandemic delays and how long it takes for homicide cases to make their way to trial.

    According to the 2023 statistics from the District Attorney’s Office, homicide cases were normally resolved in just over two years.

    Pre-pandemic, cases were taking just under two years.

    For a little more context, ten years ago, homicide cases were also taking more than two years to resolve.

    Pryor’s current lawyer, Paul DiMaio told NBC10 that Shane Pryor’s next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 15.

    The attorney says the hearing can go on whether Pryor is there or not.

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    Claudia Vargas and Emily Rose Grassi

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  • Philadelphia police arrest man believed to have helped teen murder suspect after escape

    Philadelphia police arrest man believed to have helped teen murder suspect after escape

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    PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Philadelphia police said they have made an arrest in connection to an escaped teen murder suspect. The announcement comes after authorities said they were questioning a person who they believed picked up 17-year-old Shane Pryor after he escaped from an emergency room parking lot at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia earlier this week.

    Police say they have apprehended 18-year-old Michael Diggs.

    Pryor, who was in custody for a 2020 murder of Tanya Harris, escaped late Wednesday morning while being transported by Juvenile Justice Services Center staffers after injuring his hand at the center. It is not known how the injury occurred.

    Investigators said information suggested that Pryor had been picked up by an individual driving a cream-colored Ford shortly after his escape Wednesday. Later that day, police stopped a vehicle matching that description in they city’s Germantown section at Wakefield Street and Logan Avenue, and took two people in for questioning, including Diggs.

    Diggs has formally been charged with hindering apprehension, and criminal conspiracy, among other charges.

    “The arrest marks a significant step forward in the ongoing efforts to bring all those involved in the incident to justice,” police said Friday.

    New video released Thursday shows Pryor moments after he escaped from the parking lot in University City.

    New video shows murder suspect ask to use phone moments after escape

    At about 11:55 a.m., he was seen on surveillance video in the lobby of the Hub for Clinical Collaboration building, which is located across the street from the main hospital, according to U.S. Marshals. Pryor asked an employee to use a phone and, after being denied, he left.

    By 12:29 p.m., investigators believe Pryor obtained a ride out of University City.

    He was not handcuffed when he fled, police said, and it wasn’t known whether he was able to get out of his restraints or if he wasn’t restrained at all.

    READ MORE: Are prisoner escapes on the rise in Pennsylvania? Here’s what we know

    Are prisoner escapes on the rise in Pennsylvania? Here’s what we know

    Police say Pryor was last seen heading from the area of 34th and Spruce streets to University Avenue and Civic Center Boulevard.

    Pryor was last seen wearing a blue sweatshirt, blue sweatpants, socks and slides. Police say he may have since taken off the sweatshirt.

    He is 5’7″ tall and weighs 180 pounds.

    “We know from our investigation so far, looking at a lot of video, that he was able to go in and out of a few buildings in this area,” Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore told reporters. “Pryor was seen talking to people “asking for a phone … whatever he could do to leave the area.”

    Pryor has been on the run for three days and is considered dangerous, police said. His defense attorney Paul DiMaio said his client “has always maintained his innocence,” even in his initial statement to police.

    Philadelphia Police news conference on escaped inmate in University City

    Police were searching the buildings and using canines to search large multi-level parking garages, but no lockdowns had been imposed, he said. Officers were also checking the homes of his relatives in other parts of the city, Vanore said.

    A reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to Pryor’s arrest is being offered by the U.S. Marshals Service.

    “Shane Pryor is a dangerous and desperate individual and we will use every available resource to bring him back into custody,” said Robert Clark, Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal. “Anyone who is found assisting him in his flight will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

    In December, a judge denied his bit to have the case moved back to juvenile court, which could have something to do with his client’s decision to flee.

    “He may have felt he wasn’t going to get a fair shake,” DiMaio said, adding, “He needs to turn himself in and he needs to do whatever we need to do to fight this case.”

    Pryor’s mother is also urging her son to turn himself in.

    “Just turn yourself in so it don’t get any worse than it has to be… mommy is fighting for you, I’ll always be fighting for you,” she said.

    Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to contact the Philadelphia Police Department’s tipline at 215-686-TIPS (8477) or dial 911.

    Copyright © 2024 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.

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    6abc Digital Staff

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