HARRISBURG — Attorney General Michelle Henry announced that Michael Burham pleaded guilty to escaping from Warren County Prison in July. Burham was incarcerated in Warren County for kidnapping an older couple in Pennsylvania and driving them to South Carolina, as he attempted to evade a murder investigation in New York.
The Office of Attorney General prosecuted Burham, 34, for the prison escape. The Warren County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the kidnapping case.
On Thursday, Burham pleaded guilty to charges in both cases. A Warren County Judge will sentence Burham on January 5, 2024.
“The defendant was on the run for nine days in an attempt to evade justice,” said Attorney General Henry. “I commend the efforts of Pennsylvania State Police who took this defendant into custody, as well as my team, the Warren County District Attorney’s Office, and the City of Warren Police Department, for their work in holding the defendant accountable for his many crimes.”
On July 6, 2023, Burham climbed on top of exercise equipment and exited the prison yard through a grated metal roof. He then slid down a rope that he had made of bedsheets. He was a fugitive until Pennsylvania State Police captured him on July 15.
This case is being prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Evan Lowry and Deputy Attorney General Heather Serrano.
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