‘Master of Disguise’ Prison Escapee Arrested After Four-Year Manhunt

A “master of disguise” with more than a dozen aliases to his name has been arrested after a four-year manhunt, The Daily Mail reported. 51-year-old Tyler Adams escaped from O'ahu Community Correctional Center while incarcerated for two felony theft convictions. In addition to the escape, Adams has been sought for nearly two years in a separate matter: the 2021 murder of his partner, former Marine Racquel Sabean. Sabean was found with her neck broken, stuffed into the trunk of her car which was abandoned in Tijuana, Mexico.

Adams was taken into custody in Newport Beach, CA in November and is set to be extradited to Hawaii. According to the FBI, he’s known under a litany of aliases: Aaron Lee, David Smith, Dominic Braun, David Phillips, Kevin Schoolcraft, Kevin Kennedy, Michael Whittman, Lance Irwin, Brice Johnson, Matthew Kashani, Taylor Chase, and Joshua Smith.

Adams escaped from the Hawaiian correctional center on May 21, 2019. Staff were alerted when he failed to return from a work furlough program, according to CBS8. In September 2020, a judge issued a $50,000 warrant for the fugitive’s arrest on a second-degree escape charge, which is a Class C felony.

Around the time of his escape, Adams traveled to San Diego and began a relationship with Sabean. During their time together, she and her family thought his name was Paul Phillips. After Sabean gave birth to their child in November 2021, the couple’s relationship took a dark turn.

“My daughter told me sometime [that] year that she wasn't getting along with Paul and didn't want to stay with him,” Sabean’s mother, Denise Hosking, told CBS8.

On April 17, 2021, Sabean disappeared. Her body was found in May, concealed inside a cooler in the trunk of her Volkswagen Jetta, which had inexplicably been left in Tijuana. Sabean’s daughter was safely located and put into protective custody.

Meanwhile, an apparently “uncooperative” Adams was questioned by local authorities. Shortly after this interview, Adams crossed back into the United States for the last time, using the name Aaron Bain.

Here is the FBI statement on the hunt for Tyler Adams... pic.twitter.com/FZn0DLch61

— Rose (@901Lulu) June 20, 2022

Racquel’s father, David Sabean, spoke with The Sun last year. He claimed to have seen CCTV footage from Mexico which he says proves Adams killed his daughter. "In Mexico, there's a video of [Adams] parking my daughter's car," David alleged. "He's wearing black pants, black shoes, black mask, black gloves. I saw it with my own eyes," he continued. “He parked her car where they found the body. There you go.”

David claimed that Mexican authorities had seen the tape, but no charges have been filed against Adams. However, according to NBC San Diego, Adams is still considered a suspect in Racquel’s murder.

Adams is charged with grand theft and fraud via false pretenses, along with his fugitive warrant from the State of Hawaii, federal warrants for making false statements, and falsifying identification documents.

NBC reported that on December 11, Adams pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor grand theft and fraud charges, for which he was sentenced to 30 days in jail. He is due back in court on January 3, 2024, concerning the escape charges.

This is a developing story. Check back later for more information.