Man who escaped prison after being charged with four murders pleads guilty to murder and other crimes

PHILADELPHIA — A man who escaped from prison last year after being charged with four murders and then spent a week and a half on the run before being recaptured has pleaded guilty to murder and other crimes.

Amin Hurst, 20, who was shackled to a wooden chair, entered a guilty plea Friday to 28 counts, including four counts of third-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder, as well as escape, conspiracy and violent crimes. using firearms, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Hurst was arrested in 2021 at age 16 and charged with four murders and two armed robberies. Law enforcement said he had ties to two allied Philadelphia gangs responsible for the wave of violence.

Hurst and another inmate, Nasir Grant, escaped last May from the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center in Northeast Philadelphia. Grant was taken into custody four days later, and Hearst went into hiding for 10 days before being arrested again.

Prosecutors said the two cut a hole in the fence surrounding the prison’s recreation yard and were missing for nearly 19 hours before authorities learned they were missing. Authorities also blamed disabled motion sensors and a sleeping guard, and several people were also charged with helping the escapees.

Assistant District Attorney Anthony Voci said investigators are pleased with the outcome of the case, mainly because the victims’ families will be spared a lengthy trial. However, he said it was “hard to imagine that four young lives were ruined by someone who was 16 years old. That in itself is a tragedy.”

He also said Hearst laughed about the killings during calls from behind bars, showing “a level of callousness and ruthlessness that is chilling.” Assistant District Attorney Brett Zakeosian said that while on the run, Hearst rented a recording studio and recorded a new rap song, which he has since published online.

Defense attorney Gary Silver declined to comment Friday. Hurst is expected to be sentenced in two weeks.