WARREN COUNTY, Pa. — A judge in Pennsylvania has ruled that two cases against the man accused of leading hundreds of law enforcement officers on a nine-day manhunt last month can head to trial.
Michael Burham, 34, was in court on Monday morning for the kidnapping case from May and the escape case from July. We also learned new details about how he's accused of escaping from the Warren County Prison in Pennsylvania.
Cameras were not allowed in the courtroom Monday morning as 34-year-old Michael Burham faced a Warren County, Pennsylvania judge for the two preliminary hearings.
A photographer from the NBC station in Erie, Pennsylvania was able to capture video of Burham in handcuffs being escorted by law enforcement in the hallway of the courthouse.
In court on Monday, it was revealed that Burham braided at least eight-bed sheets together in order to escape from the Warren County Prison in July. That is how prosecutors allege he was able to climb down a chain link fence before leading law enforcement on a nine-day manhunt.
Burham is also facing kidnapping charges from May when he is accused of kidnapping a Pennsylvania couple at gunpoint and driving them to South Carolina. On Monday, the kidnapped woman told the judge she saw Burham in her garage with a large pistol. She says he then forced her back into her house where he changed into her husband's clothes before making them both drive 18 hours with him to South Carolina.
The judge ruled there is enough evidence, and both of these cases can go to trial. Burham is being held without bail at the Erie County Prison in Pennsylvania.
Burham is also a suspect in a Jamestown murder. 2 On Your Side asked the Chautauqua County District Attorney's office for the latest on that case, and a spokesperson told us there is no new information to pass along.