Mistrial declared in murder case of courthouse escapee

Published: Dec. 8, 2021 at 1:26 PM EST
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A mistrial has been declared in the murder trial of a former courthouse escapee accused of fatally stabbing a Davie woman in 2014.

Broward County Judge John J. Murphy III declared a mistrial Wednesday in the case of Dayonte Resiles, who made national headlines after escaping from the Broward County Courthouse in 2016.

The mistrial came a day after the same jury first announced it had reached a verdict -- guilty on a lesser manslaughter charge -- before retracting the decision after a juror admitted she didn't agree with it.

Resiles, 27, is charged with first-degree murder in the 2014 death of Jill Halliburton Su, whose body was found in a bathtub in her Davie home.

He was 21 when he escaped from the downtown Fort Lauderdale courthouse in 2016, eluding two unarmed bailiffs and removing his jumpsuit, handcuffs and shackles during his escape. Surveillance video showed him running out of the courthouse wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts.

Dayonte Resiles smiles at his supporters in the courtroom of Judge Raag Singhal, Tuesday, July...
Dayonte Resiles smiles at his supporters in the courtroom of Judge Raag Singhal, Tuesday, July 26, 2016, at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale. Resiles arrived for a hearing from the same courtroom from which he escaped on July 15.

Resiles was caught six days later at a Days Inn on 45th Street in West Palm Beach.

He faces a possible death sentence if convicted. Had he been convicted of manslaughter, Resiles could have been sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.

The judge set a date of Jan. 3 to select a new jury for the retrial.

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