An accused Florida killer who spent six days on the lam after escaping from a courthouse claimed he needed to go on a fact-finding mission to prove his innocence — and he hopes his judge doesn’t have any hard feelings about the ordeal.
Dayonte Resiles penned a one-page letter apologizing to the judge overseeing the courtroom he dashed from in July.
“I hope you don’t take it personal because your (sic) one judge that I have great respect for,” the 22-year-old wrote in his note to Judge Raag Singhal, which was obtained by NBC Miami.
Resiles — who is accused of stabbing a Florida woman to death in 2014 during a home invasion — said he felt compelled to run so he could gather evidence for his upcoming trial.
“When I escaped, my whole reason was to gather enough info on my case to prove my innocence,” he wrote. “I felt I was at a dead end with nowhere to turn to. I tried to appeal to everyone to prove to them I was innocent but my voice went unheard.”
The accused killer wriggled his way out of his shackles inside the Broward County Courthouse on July 15 and bolted for the door.
Police spent six days looking for the escaped prisoner before finding him at a West Palm Beach Days Inn. He was taken back into custody without incident.
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It’s unclear exactly what he did during his near-week of freedom, but Resiles called the escapade a success in his letter to the judge.
“Safe to say now, I have received enough attention and people will believe in my innocence,” he said, without commenting further on the evidence he claimed he was looking for.
Resiles faces murder charges for the 2014 slaying of Jill Halliburton Su. Officials said the suspect broke into her Davie home, stabbed her to death and then robbed the house.
If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
