Escaped killer Ramone Alston captured at hotel near Charlotte; woman charged with helping him

Convicted murderer Ramone Alston has been captured after a three-day manhunt.

According to the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (DAC), Alston was captured shortly before 2 a.m. at a hotel on Cloverleaf Parkway in Kannapolis. He has since been transferred to Granville Correctional Institution in Butner. That is the highest security prison in the North Carolina prison system.

Investigators refused to say what tipped them off to Alston being at that hotel. There was a $50,000 reward up for grabs in the case, but it's unclear if anyone will be able to claim that cash.

"I dont want to get into the elements on how...how we were lead to the hotel," FBI Special Agent Bob Dewitt said.

Keith Acree with DAC said Alston was taken into custody with the help of agents with the FBI Charlotte SWAT team, Kannapolis Police and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers. No one was injured.

"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," Department Secretary Todd Ishee said. "This was an incredible collaborative effort."

A woman identified as Jacobia Crisp , was also arrested in Alamance County and charged with felony aiding and abetting a fugitive. Investigators did not go into details about what all Crisp did to help Alston, except to say that she drove Alston around. Details about when or where she drove him remained unclear; investigators also wouldn't say if she was the only one to help, or even what their relationship was. The only thing they did say was that Crisp was not incarcerated when the pair struck up their relationship months ago.

SEE ALSO | Father of 1-year-old killed by Ramone Alston: 'Displeased with Dept. of Public Safety'

Ramone Alston, serving a life sentence for killing a 1-year-old on Christmas Day in 2015, remained at-large hours after running away in Orange County.

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

The two officers who were transporting Alston have been taken off of transportation duties while an internal investigation is conducted. What will ultimately happen with those officers will depend on what that investigation reveals.

Alston will be charged with felony escape from prison; he will continue serving his life sentence for first-degree murder in the 2015 death of 1-year-old Maleah Williams in Chapel Hill.

Who is Ramone Alston?

Alston was convicted of shooting and killing 1-year-old Maleah Williams on Christmas Day in 2015. The shooting happened in Chapel Hill. Maleah's mother told ABC11 then that the children were outside playing with their Christmas toys and she was holding her daughter when someone started firing shots in the area. She was running from the area when she realized a bullet had struck Maleah.

ABC11 uncovered that Alston recently tried to get his sentence lightened. Records show Alston filed a motion for appropriate relief in October 2023.

The 20-page document goes through the evidence and facts of his case. In the document, Alston claims the state used misleading evidence in its case. The motion was denied in May, with a judge saying Alston had a fair, full hearing and the claims in the motion for appropriate relief lacked merit.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.