(Court TV) — The accused murderer of Stephanie Crowe was recaptured after escaping the courthouse where jury selection in his trial was scheduled to begin.  

Richard Tuite, a mentally ill drifter, was seen handcuffed eating lunch in a holding area around 1 p.m., according to a sheriff's spokesman, reported the San Diego Union Tribune.

Tuite, 34, apparently managed to slip out of the handcuffs and leave the courthouse unnoticed, the paper said.   

Less than five hours later, he was captured at a pay phone 10 miles away from the San Diego courthouse by police who received a tip from someone who recognized him from news reports.

Police launched a massive search for the 150-pound, 5-feet 7-inch, Tuite, who is diagnosed with schizophrenia.

In September, Judge Frederic Link ruled he was fit to stand trial, concluding that Tuite is "cognitive of what is happening."

The faces of Richard Tuite: In his mugshot, in a court hearing in early 2003, and during his competency hearing in Sept. 2003

He is accused of sneaking into the Crowe family's rural home Jan. 20, 1998, and killing 12-year-old Stephanie, a popular seventh grader, while her parents, siblings and grandmother slept nearby.

Police originally charged Stephanie's brother, Michael, and two friends with the murder, but DNA tests later revealed the victim's blood on Tuite's shirt. If convicted, Tuite faces a life sentence.

While Tuite has a well-documented history of schizophrenia stretching back to the age of 20 and even prosecutors termed him a "delusional psychotic," his lawyers had said they were not going to use an insanity defense because, they say, he is actually innocent of the crime.

During his competency hearing, defense lawyers said they would try to exonerate Tuite by drawing on the evidence police amassed for their original case against Michael Crowe and his friends and by suggesting the teenagers are the real killers.