SAN DIEGO — A fugitive described as a "master of disguise" has been sentenced to 5 years in prison for escaping from a work furlough facility in Hawaii in 2019. Tyler Adams, 52, apologized in Honolulu court on Thursday for his actions.
"I now find myself in a state of remorseful despair realizing how far one can stray from oneself when all you do is try to survive. And I'm so sorry," Adams told the court.
Adams, who was serving a 10-year prison term for bank fraud at the time of his escape, will now serve the additional 5-year sentence on top of his remaining bank fraud sentence. Deputy Attorney General Adrian Dhakhwa noted, "The defendant left the jurisdiction. He not only left the jurisdiction, but he reoffended. He got subsequent convictions in Texas and California."
Police have described Adams as a "master of disguise," reportedly using more than 15 fake names to commit fraud and identity theft across the United States. However, the most serious crime Adams is suspected of, but not yet charged with, is the murder of his girlfriend Racquel Sabean in Tijuana.
David Sabean, the victim's father, told CBS 8, "He's on video in Mexico, I saw it myself, parking my daughter's car with the body in it." Racquel Sabean's decomposing body was found in her car near the beach in Tijuana in May of 2022. She had been living with Adams in University Heights and in Tijuana with their newborn daughter.
Following Racquel's murder, police in Mexico issued an Amber Alert for the couple's baby. The infant was found two weeks later with a babysitter in Rosarito and delivered across the border into protective custody. David Sabean provided an update on his granddaughter's well-being: "She's doing really well. She dances, she has a lot of energy, and she's just wonderful. It's a good thing that she's not going to be traumatized by this, because she won't remember. She was too young."
Adams' defense attorney, Myles Breiner, stated that his client is expecting to face murder charges in San Diego. "In fact, he wants to go to California. He had me reach out to the US Attorney's Office, asking that they extradite him to California so he could address whatever issues are waiting for him there," Breiner said.
Breiner added that Adams likely won't be eligible for release from Hawaii prison until at least 2030. He also mentioned, "Based on my conversation with the two US attorneys from the San Diego US Attorney's Office, they're on board and are proceeding on the assumption that they eventually will be prosecuting him for a murder. And as you well know, there is no statute of limitations on murder."
CBS 8 reached out to the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Diego. A spokesperson declined to comment on the timing of Tyler Adams' extradition.