Killer wiggles out of handcuffs and nearly escapes jail after making his own ‘key’

A man who kidnapped, raped and murdered a 13-year-old girl almost escaped captivity after making two homemade keys.

Michael McLellan, 39, pleaded guilty to the heinous crimes against North Carolina teen Hania Aguilar in 2018.

He would then make two separate escape attempts.

The first came Friday morning, when officers took McLellan to the courthouse where he would ultimately enter his guilty plea.

During the ride, the perpetrator managed to remove his leg irons using one of two tools apparently made from materials obtained from a jail art studio, Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said.

The top cop then described the altercation that followed, after a transport officer noticed movement and stopped to see what was happening.

When he encountered a partially unrestrained McLellan trying to escape, he and other officers were able to restrain him again and bring him to justice. McLellan subsequently pleaded guilty to all charges and received a life sentence.

A second escape attempt occurred during the drive back to Central Prison, after police confiscated the first key McLellan had placed in his mouth.

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McLellan kidnapped 13-year-old Hania Aguilar from outside her parents’ home while she was waiting to go to school on November 5, 2018

McLellan once again managed to free himself. The deputy hit the breaks and this time the criminal got his hands on the officer’s gun.

“He was able to press the latch that releases the gun in the holster and actually gain control of the weapon,” Wilkins said of McLellan, who was able to throw off his handcuffs with a second stored key.

This allowed him to reach under a piece of plexiglass separating him from the front seat, with clear access for the officers.

From there, he was able to release a lever on a deputy’s gun holster and physically grab the weapon, Wilkins said — describing the struggle that ensued along I-40.

“He was able to press the latch that releases the gun in the holster and actually gain control of the weapon,” he said, revealing how McLellan managed to grab what police called a “black box” that had connected his fetters with other chains.

The box serves as a kind of handcuff cover, intended to close the keyhole of the handcuffs The potential offender must not break open or tamper with any part of the lock.

‘[The deputy] has one hand on the gun,” Wilkins recalled to WRAL-News.

“McLellan has the actual grip of the gun and there is a fight over it.”

Wilkins noted that during the struggle, McLellan told the officer, “You’re going to love this” — as they fought over the firearm and other officers rushed to help.

The horror ended when a detention center officer, who was also in the car, used pepper spray on McLellan, causing him to lose his grip on the deputy’s gun.

“There was a small fight over the gun, and the passenger, a detention officer, pepper-sprayed him,” Wilkins said. “He immediately let go of the gun, stumbled back to the chair and said, ‘You’ve got me, you’ve got me.’

Before the sentencing hearing, the perpetrator managed to remove his leg irons using a tool made from material obtained from a prison art studio.

One of the seized tools can be seen here, as officers revealed they had taken two from the convict’s person

The first key got stuck in the perpetrator’s handcuffs, but a second one managed to get them loose

The second attempt ended when a detention center officer, who was also in the car, used pepper spray on McLellan, causing him to lose his grip on the deputy’s gun.

Wilkins added that at that point, McLellan resigned himself to his fate — life in prison without parole — and told officers, “I surrender.”

He said a total of two homemade keys were seized, with the first key actually left stuck in the handcuffs.

McLellan is now being held in a high-security facility at the North Carolina Central Prison in Raleigh, in an effort by authorities to prevent any more escape attempts. The facility is the highest security prison in the entire state.

“Everyone at the Lumberton Police Department is humbled and grateful to be able to bring justice to Hania, her family and the community,” Police Chief Michael McNeill said of the case.

“This case has demonstrated our continued commitment and tireless efforts to hold violent criminals accountable for their actions.

“Before you go to bed tonight, please pray that Hania’s family begins to mend their broken hearts.”

Wilkins, meanwhile, added in his own statement: “I believe the entire day was an escape attempt for McLellan,” who kidnapped the young girl outside her parents’ home as she sat in her family’s SUV on Nov. 5, 2018 waiting to go to school. .

“I think his coming and pleading guilty was a way to get out of prison from behind those walls, and it gave him two chances today to try to escape,” he said.

The victim’s parents are seen watching their daughter’s killer during the same hearing in 2018. He will now serve a life sentence without any chance of parole.

Robert M. DeWitt, the FBI agent in charge of North Carolina, said of McLellan: “We hope that Hania’s family … is comforted in some way knowing that he will spend the rest of his life in prison.” spend’

“I heard him say a few words to the family and said he was sorry,” he added. “I didn’t see any sincerity in that at all.”

He then praised officers who were able to subdue the man in both cases, which he said happened after McLellan managed to smuggle both objects into his mouth.

‘They did their job as they were trained to do. A problem has been detected. “I pulled over and found the problem,” he said.

Robert M. DeWitt, the FBI Special Agent in Charge of North Carolina, added: “We hope that Hania’s family and McLellan’s other victims are comforted in some way knowing that he will spend the rest of his life in prison.”