Escaped inmate convicted of murder captured in North Carolina hotel after dayslong manhunt

The exhaustive search in North Carolina for an escaped prisoner convicted of murder ended early Friday morning after he was captured by police at a hotel, authorities said.

The North Carolina Department of Adult Correction said in a news release Friday that Ramone Jamarr Alston, 30, was captured shortly before 2 a.m. at a hotel in Kannapolis, North Carolina, a city located less than 30 miles northeast of Charlotte. A female acquaintance of Alston's, identified as Jacobia Crisp, was also arrested in Alamance County and charged with felony aiding and abetting a fugitive, according to the news release.

According to the news release, Alston will be charged with felony escape from prison and is being taken to a high-security unit in the state prison system, "where he will resume serving his life sentence for first degree murder" and await court appearances for his escape charges.

"I am grateful to our DAC staff and thankful for the support and effort from hundreds of local, state and federal public safety officers who helped in the search and investigation that returned Alston safely to custody," said DAC Secretary Todd Ishee. "This was an incredible collaborative effort of many people and agencies."

The operation to capture Alston included FBI Charlotte SWAT agents, Kannapolis Police and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police, according to the news release. He was taken into custody without incident.

Alston escaped from correction officers Tuesday morning as he was arriving for an appointment at a Hillsborough hospital, according to the release. Since then, "hundreds of law enforcement and public safety officials" were involved in the search for him, the DAC said.

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Who is Ramone Alston?

Alston was serving a life sentence at the Bertie Correctional Institution in Windsor, about 150 miles east of Hillsborough. He was convicted of fatally shooting 1-year-old Maleah Williams in Chapel Hill on Christmas Day 2015, according to authorities.

Local news outlets reported Alston was found guilty of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison in 2018.

The girl's mother, Tylena Williams, told WTVD in 2019 that Maleah was shot in the head while playing with a group of children outside her godparents' apartment. Alston and his friend, Pierre Je Bron Moore, had opened fire at the apartment complex in a drive-by shooting, according to Spectrum News.

Both Alston and Moore took a plea deal, with Moore receiving a sentence of 28 to 34 years in prison in 2019, according to WTVD.

Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.