Murder suspect finally found after falling through ceiling during house search – 104.5 WOKV

NEW YORK — A murder suspect who evaded police for several months was finally caught by U.S. Marshals after he fell through the ceiling of the attic where he was hiding, authorities said.

Deario Wilkerson, 20, has been wanted since May 9, when a warrant was issued for his arrest on charges of first-degree murder and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon. The warrant is in the April 2 shooting death of Troy Cunningham. Cunningham was found shot to death in the 1500 block of N. Merton Street in Memphis, Tennessee, according to a statement released Monday by the U.S. Marshals.

The case was subsequently taken over by the U.S. Marshals' Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force (TRVFTF) in Memphis to investigate fugitive charges, authorities said.

“On August 26, the TRVFTF tracked Wilkerson to a residence in the 1400 block of N. Merton in Memphis. Deputies, with assistance from the Shelby County Sheriff's Office and the Memphis Police Department's Fugitive Apprehension Teams, surrounded the home,” the U.S. Marshals' statement said, detailing the incident. “Wilkerson attempted to hide in the attic while the USMS searched the home; however, he fell through the ceiling.”

The U.S. Marshals Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force is a “multi-agency task force in West Tennessee. The TRVFTF has offices in Memphis and Jackson and its members include Deputy U.S. Marshals, Shelby, Fayette and Tipton County Sheriff's Deputies, Memphis and Jackson police officers, Tennessee Department of Correction special agents, and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Since 2021, the TRVFTF has apprehended over 2,600 violent fugitives and sex offenders.”

Wilkerson was not injured in the fall and was taken into custody without further incident.

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