You could say the man fell right into their laps.
A clumsy murder suspect shocked U.S. Marshals on Monday when he accidentally fell through the ceiling of the Memphis home where he was hiding – just as police were turning the house upside down.
Deario Wilkerson, 20, was wanted in connection with a shooting that left a city man dead in early April, according to a U.S. Marshals press release.
Members of a special unit for the search for fugitive perpetrators pursued the suspected murderer for months and finally came across a house on North Merton Street, not far from the actual crime scene.
On Monday, local and federal police officers surrounded the house while Wilkerson tried to evade authorities by hiding in the attic.
But the perpetrator, who had no knowledge of gravity, was out of luck and fell through the ceiling and crashed to the floor just as police began their search, the Marshals Service said.
Photos from the scene showed a huge hole in the drywall where Wilkerson had fallen, landing right next to the kitchen sink.
However, since he was not injured, Wilkerson was caught by authorities “without further incident,” the press release states.
The arrest ended a months-long manhunt that began in May when a Tennessee court issued an arrest warrant for Wilkerson on suspicion of being involved in the April 2 killing of a man named Troy Cunningham, the coroner said.
According to the Shelby County District Attorney, Memphis police officers found Cunningham's body near the Cavalier Court Apartments in North Memphis after responding to a 911 call about a disturbance.
While on the block, police heard gunshots and found Cunningham lying on the sidewalk near the intersection of Merton and Peres Avenue with a bullet hole in the back of his head.
Two other people have already been arrested and charged with the murder, the district attorney said.
Wilkerson – the only one still on the run – was hiding in a family member’s home when authorities found him, according to the New York Times.
Authorities also charged Wilkerson with reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence, reckless driving, auto theft, gun theft, evading arrest and other offenses, the Times reported.
According to jail records, he is being held in the Shelby County Jail on $6 million bail.
He is due to appear in court again on Thursday.
