His escape from the Broward County courthouse made him infamous — and this week, Dayonte Resiles faces the death penalty in the murder case of a woman over seven years ago.
Resiles made headlines in 2016 for bolting past a bailiff during a pretrial hearing in a Broward County courtroom — slipping out of his handcuffs and jumpsuit — and then escaping down the stairwell out the door.
Resiles was found less than a week later hiding out in a hotel in Palm Beach. Eight people were charged with helping him escape.
Before he made his daring dash, he was charged in the murder of Jill Halliburton Su, who was found stabbed and bound in the bathtub of her Davie home in 2014.
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Prosecutors say it was an apparent burglary, and according to the arrest warrant, Resiles’ DNA was found on the knife and belt loop used in the crime.
Resiles was recently in court for jury selection as the murder trial begins Wednesday.
A judge has allowed prosecutors to use evidence of his courtroom escape in this trial to try and prove consciousness of guilt.
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Phone calls that Resiles made after he was caught — which allegedly show him speaking with co-conspirators to craft up an alibi — are also expected to be used by the state. Eight people accused of helping Resiles in those pending cases were also arrested.
Meanwhile, Resiles’ supporters have been devoted while he’s been behind bars. They have held rallies in the past saying he was framed and questioned the credibility and accuracy of the Broward Sheriff's Office crime lab, especially when it comes to mixtures of DNA.
Resiles has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and it will be in the hands of a jury to decide what happens next.
Attorneys expect this trial to last about a month. If convicted on these first-degree murder charges, Resiles could face the death penalty.
