Image copyright Conroe Police Department/Facebook Image caption Police captured Mr Marks after a nine-hour manhunt

A mixed martial arts fighter suspected of two murders had escaped from Texas police, only to be discovered hours later, squatting inside a rubbish bin.

Cedric Marks, 44, is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend Jenna Scott and her friend, Michael Swearingin. They were found in a shallow grave last month.

Mr Marks escaped from a prison transport vehicle after it stopped at a McDonald's in Conroe, near Houston.

He is back in police custody and will face charges in Temple, Texas.

Mr Marks was arrested by US Marshals in Michigan last month on suspicion of breaking into Ms Scott's home in Temple, on 21 August, 2018.

Murder warrants were also issued for the fighter on Sunday after Ms Scott and Mr Swearingin's bodies were discovered on 15 January, the Associated Press reported.

He was being transferred to Temple to face these charges on Sunday when he fled.

Image copyright Conroe Police Department/Facebook

When the prison van, which was transporting two guards and 10 prisoners, stopped at a McDonald's for food, Mr Marks managed to escape on foot, police chief Jeff Christy said.

According to KPRC-TV, he had been shackled in the van, and police do not yet know how he was able to remove the restraints.

After his escape, police warned residents Mr Marks should be "considered extremely dangerous" as both a murder suspect and experienced fighter.

Following a nine-hour manhunt involving several agencies and canine units, authorities found him hiding in a rubbish bin in the backyard of a nearby home.

Mr Marks surrendered without incident, police said, and is back in custody.

"He threw his hands up as far as he could and surrendered. He was worn out," Mr Christy said, according to KPRC.

"He was squatting in a 55-gallon (208L) trash can all day, he was pretty tired."

An investigation is under way regarding the incident and will be presented to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, Mr Christy said.

Mr Marks, who fights under the name Spider-Man, has been involved with MMA for nearly two decades, according to a fighter database.

He had also worked as a women's self-defence instructor at a boxing club in Killeen, Texas.

Image copyright Laura Pollard/Facebook Image caption Ms Scott and Mr Swearingin's friends shared photos on social media in a campaign to locate them

Just before her disappearance, Mr Marks' former girlfriend Ms Scott had filed for a restraining order against him, alleging he had choked her to the point of unconsciousness twice, but it was denied, KCEN-TV reported.

Ms Scott had described her ex-boyfriend as a "pathological liar" and "a psychopath", according to KCEN.

The local outlet reported Marks has an extensive criminal history, dating back to his teenage years.

Mr Marks is also a person of interest in the missing persons case of April Pease, the mother of one of his children, who vanished in 2009 amid a custody dispute with Mr Marks.