Murder Suspect Escaped Custody While in Street Clothes — and Police Believe Ex-Jailer Helped Him

Mar. 15, 2025

Joshua Zimmerman (left) allegedly escaped court with the help of his jailer, Ronnie Hunt (right).Photo:DeSoto County Jail; Lafayette County Jail

DeSoto County Jail; Lafayette County Jail

An ex-jailer has been arrested in connection with a Mississippi inmate’s courthouse escape. That inmate was recaptured last week in Chicago, following a 15-hour standoff that took place blocks away from the Democratic National Convention.

Ronnie Hunt is charged with aiding in the escape of a prisoner and conveying articles useful for the escape, Bailey C. Martin of the Mississippi Department of Public Safety confirms to PEOPLE, adding that “additional charges are probable.”

The escapee, Joshua Zimmerman,fledthe DeSoto County Courthouse in Hernando, Miss. June 14,dressed in khakis and a white shirt, the Associated Press reports, citing security footage. He was not handcuffed.

Joshua Zimmerman (shirtless in photograph) was recaptured at a restaurant in Chicago on Aug. 21.WGN News/YouTube

WGN News/YouTube

Prior to his escape, Zimmerman faced serious charges in Mississippi, Texas and Connecticut, per the AP, which reports that on the day of his escape, he had a scheduled court appearance on charges of attempted murder and armed robbery.

He is additionally charged with the murder of Keyanna Mercer in a Houston motel on Sept. 2, 2023, per the AP. Motel staff found the victim fatally shot in the head, following multiple complaints that the suspect and woman had been fighting.

Zimmerman is slated for extradition to Texas to face those charges, per the AP.

Joshua Zimmerman in mugshot.DeSoto County Jail

DeSoto County Jail

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A warrant had also been issued for his rearrest in a felony sexual assault case out of Connecticut in 2022, per the AP. (Prior to that warrant, he had pleaded not guilty to the charge and had been freed on a $200,000 bond.)

Referencing the Democratic National Convention, which was taking place during the time Zimmerman was arrested, the Marshals Service confirmed to the AP that there was “no connection or threat to the event or those attending.”

It was not immediately clear where Zimmerman is being detained or if he had retained a lawyer, but the AP previously reported that Mississippi authorities hoped to have him returned to the state.

Hunt is being held in Lafayette County Detention Center in Oxford, Miss., Bailey confirms to PEOPLE.

Ronnie Hunt in mugshot.Lafayette County Jail

Lafayette County Jail

The AP reports that since the June escape, Hunt, 32, was fired as a deputy jailer from the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department.

PEOPLE reached out to the sheriff’s department to confirm his years of employment and asked about any past record of problematic behavior, but the sheriff’s department did not respond in time for publication.

“We have implemented additional security measures that we will not disclose to the public for obvious safety reasons,” the department said in the statement.

source: people.com