Murder suspect arraigned from cell after Washington Co. Courthouse escape

HILLSBORO, Ore. (KPTV) - The murder suspect who ran out of the Washington County Courthouse in Hillsboro Monday morning appeared in court again Wednesday.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said 28-year-old Edi Villalobos was in court on Monday for allegedly stabbing a Cornelius man to death in 2021 and stabbing another man in Clackamas County.

SEE ALSO: 1983 murder case of Washington Co. woman closed after 40 years

Police said Villalobos was able to run out of the first-floor courthouse and flee authorities around 11 a.m., but was found shortly after 1:30 p.m. in an apartment nearby. WCSO said the residents were not home and a neighbor called the police to report suspicious behavior.

This is the current scene near the corner of SE Oak st and 5th Ave. A @WCSOOregon deputy told me to stay on the north end of Oak because the search is focused south of the street. Sirens from law enforcement are going off throughout downtown Hillsboro. @fox12oregon pic.twitter.com/vL0FUJdQq4
— Connor McCarthy (@conr_mccarthy) February 27, 2023

“I wouldn’t call it a failure what I would call it is we need to reassess how we need to do things.,” says Sgt. Danny DiPietro with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. “What took place here and evaluating the circumstances in this incident alone, it could change. We’re always looking to do better.”

Out of precaution, Villalobos appeared in court virtually on Wednesday, peering through an opening in a jail cell. In addition to murder charges, he was formally arraigned on burglary and escape charges after Monday’s ordeal.

His jury trial, which was scheduled for this week has been rescheduled for Oct. 3.

SEE ALSO: Suspect arrested for 2022 SE Portland MAX station murder

Malik Shubbar works at an auto body shop across the street from the apartment complex where the chase came to end, and says it was an afternoon he won’t forget.

“All the cops came down here, and then one cop brought down a shield with him and we saw guns come out and all the cops were stopping at the complex right there,” said Shubbar.

Shubbar says these details he and his colleagues learned after the chase were very unsettling.

“We were standing right outside the shop and then a cop yelled at us to go inside,” he said. “We didn’t know what was happening at the time and then later on we knew it was a murder suspect and we got pretty spooked.”

Copyright 2023 KPTV-KPDX. All rights reserved.