The Murder Suspect Who Escaped From a Broward Courtroom—and the People Who Helped Him ( Dayonte Resiles )

By Palm Beach and Broward Mugshots LLC

On the morning of July 15, 2016, the Broward County Courthouse became the center of a carefully planned escape involving an accused murderer, a waiting getaway car and a network of alleged accomplices.

Dayonte “Moochie” Resiles was brought into a fourth-floor courtroom for a pretrial hearing concerning whether prosecutors could seek the death penalty. He entered wearing jail clothing and restraints—but he would not leave that way.

At approximately 9:30 that morning, Resiles freed himself from his restraints, jumped from the jury box and ran past courthouse personnel. He discarded his jail uniform and escaped through a courthouse exit before authorities could secure the area.

Investigators would later allege that his disappearance was not spontaneous. It had been planned through recorded jail calls, visits and coordination among several people inside and outside the courthouse.

According to investigators, Resiles’ cousins, teenage twins Kretron and Tre’Von Barnes, were inside the courtroom. One allegedly coughed into an open telephone when Resiles began running, providing a signal to the people waiting outside.

LaQuay Stern and Winston Russell Jr. were reportedly positioned near the courthouse in a waiting vehicle. Authorities said Resiles entered the car, changed clothes and was driven to an apartment complex.

The escape triggered an enormous law-enforcement response. The courthouse and surrounding jail facilities were locked down as officers searched downtown Fort Lauderdale and investigated how a restrained murder defendant had managed to disappear from a crowded courtroom.

Resiles remained free for nearly six days. On July 20, 2016, a SWAT team located him at a Days Inn in West Palm Beach. He surrendered without incident.

Authorities eventually charged eight people in connection with the escape:

Walter M. Hart III, another inmate, was accused of helping Resiles manipulate or defeat the restraints before they entered the courtroom. Hart later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years in prison for his role.

LaQuay Stern, identified as Resiles’ girlfriend, was accused of participating in the planning, providing a getaway vehicle and driving him away from the courthouse.

Winston Russell Jr. was accused of helping plan the route, waiting in the getaway car and supplying clothing for Resiles after he discarded his jail uniform.

Kretron Barnes and Tre’Von Barnes, Resiles’ teenage twin cousins, were accused of remaining inside the courtroom and sending the telephone signal that indicated Resiles was running. Although they were 17, prosecutors charged them as adults.

Paige Jackson was accused of facilitating three-way telephone calls that allowed Resiles to communicate with people involved in the plan. Investigators said numerous calls connected to the alleged planning passed through her telephone.

Francine Mesadieu, Resiles’ cousin, was accused of providing clothing, a wig and colored contact lenses that could help him avoid recognition.

Armonie Frankson-Dennis became the eighth person arrested. Authorities accused her of participating in the planning through telephone calls and jail visits.

Contemporary reporting clearly documents the charges against all eight people. However, reliable publicly accessible reports do not establish the final outcome of every accomplice’s case. Walter Hart’s guilty plea and four-year sentence are the confirmed resulting sentence available for inclusion without speculation.

JUSTIC FOR JILL

The escape temporarily overshadowed the reason Resiles was in custody: the violent death of Jill Halliburton Su.
The 59-year-old wife and mother was found bound and fatally stabbed inside the bathtub of her Davie home during a botched burglary.

Su’s family endured years of court proceedings before the murder case reached a final verdict. Resiles’ first trial ended in a mistrial in December 2021 following a problem discovered when the jurors were individually polled.

A second jury convicted Resiles of first-degree murder in March 2022. He was sentenced to life in prison in May 2022.

Resiles continued to maintain his innocence, but the jury’s verdict brought the criminal trial to a conclusion nearly eight years after Su was killed.

Personal Memory of the Lockdown

I had surrendered on July 13, 2016, for a violation of federal probation—two days before Resiles escaped.
I was being held at the downtown Broward jail when the escape placed the facility on lockdown. I was transferred to the Federal Detention Center in Miami after they caught him. Funny enough the profile photograph used on this page was taken during that time.

All individuals are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.