A murder suspect who was allowed to move about freely during his trial, as required by state law, fled the scene.
Two sheriff’s deputies walked Edi Villalobos, 28, into the Washington County Courthouse for his trial on charges that he killed a relative and stabbed a different guy.
One of the deputies may be seen in the surveillance video releasing Villalobos’ wrist restraints.
The constable releases the defendant’s ankle restraints as he sits down on a chair next to a table.
Murder suspect escapes from courthouse after being unshackled
Villalobos, wearing black slacks and a blue dress shirt, walks over to a chair at the middle of the table where he is expected to sit, places a hand over it, then dashes out of the courtroom.
‘When it comes to removing the restraints, that’s what Oregon law requires us to do,’ a Washington County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told KATU.
Both deputies ran after Villalobos, with one trailing the other, but the defendant outran them out the door of the courtroom.
Surveillance footage from other cameras throughout the courthouse document Villalobos’ escape. In the hallway, he got farther ahead of the deputies. Villalobos hopped in front of a woman and almost tackled a man as he ran through a staff only door.
A manhunt ensued for Villalobos, that included using drones.
It wasn’t until about two hours later when someone reported a person trying to break into an apartment on the 300 block of Southeast 4th Avenue, that deputies captured Villalobos. He was hiding under a blanket in a closet inside the apartment.
Villalobos was indicted by a grand jury on charges around his February 27 escape.
His trial has been postponed.
Villalobos is accused of stabbing to death his mother’s partner, Artemio Guzman-Olvera, 33, and fleeing in a vehicle in April 2021. He allegedly stabbed Saul Antonio Ramirez Aguierre, 26, a couple hours later in an apartment complex, The Oregonian reported at the time.