Colton Harris-Moore is turning down book and movie offers, saying his latest jaunt as an outlaw wasn’t anything to emulate – in fact, he was scared silly.

According to attorney John Henry Browne, the teen suspect ignored a June offer of $50,000 and free representation by lawyer Jim Johanson because he was too afraid to turn himself in.

“Man, they’re trying to kill me,” he told a marina security director as he fled barefoot from Bahamanian police on the day he was captured.

Harris-Moore is now being held in a private cell in a federal Seatac detention center. Browne gave a news conference recorded by the Seattle PI following Harris-Moore’s first Seattle courtroom hearing on Thursday, June 22.

“He’s very relieved actually to be done with being lonely and being on the road by himself,” said Browne’s associate Emma Scanlan in the video. “I think things got out of control for him… in some ways he’s glad to have it over, to be in one place and to have his family here.”

Asked why the teen fugitive didn’t turn himself in, Browne gave a one-word answer: “scared”.

He said Harris-Moore had a message for the public.

“He’s concerned that kids will think this is fun, and he wanted us to say publicly that it was not fun. He was scared to death most of the time he was on his ‘lark’,” said Browne. “It was not enjoyable… he was living in port-a-potties at times.”

He said the lawyers and law enforcement personnel involved have described Harris-Moore as “a really nice kid… he is very smart but not terribly mature”.

“He just seems like a kid,” said Browne. “He doesn’t know what’s going on… the whole media thing creeps him out… he’s just confused.”

Asked if he understands the gravity of his crimes, Browne answered, “I’m not sure anybody does at this point.. He heard Mr. Roberts recite the maximums, but nobody ever gets the maximums.”

Browne said he will attempt to consolidate the charges against Harris-Moore so that they can all be dealt with in one place. He also said it would take days for Harris-Moore’s mother to fill out the required forms and background check in order to visit her son in prison.

Browne did not ask the judge to release Harris-Moore on bail.

“I prefer not to have judges laugh in my face,” he said.

For the full Seattle PI story, go here.