Memphis murder suspect arrested after falling through ceiling from attic hiding place

A Memphis murder suspect was caught after falling from the ceiling of the attic where he was hiding, the U.S. Marshals said this week.

Deario Wilkerson, 20, had been on the run since May 9, when an arrest warrant was issued for the premeditated murder of Troy Cunningham. U.S. Marshals from the Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force tracked Wilkerson to a home on the northeast side of town on Wednesday.

Agents were searching the home when Wilkerson fell through the ceiling. Wilkerson was not injured in the fall and was taken into custody without further incident, the USMS said.

Authorities released pictures of the suspect and the broken ceiling.

On April 2, Cunningham was shot in the back of the head, authorities said. Two women who were driving by at the time were also hit by gunfire. One of the women was wounded in the shoulder.

Wilkerson was the third suspect arrested in connection with the fatal shooting, the Shelby County district attorney said in a statement, nearly five months after Cunningham's death. Suspect Jarius Hibbler was arrested shortly after the shooting, authorities said, and Tamarius Barron was arrested about a month after the shooting.

The U.S. Marshals, America's oldest law enforcement agency, are responsible for searching for fugitives – often dangerous criminals.

Since 2021, the Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force says it has caught over 2,600 violent fugitives and sex offenders.