John Jefferson
Inset: Deario Wilkerson. Background: The ceiling that Wilkerson allegedly fell through when he was arrested on Monday, Aug. 26, 2024 (U.S. Marshals Service).
A man sought in a Tennessee murder fell through the ceiling in the home where he was hiding and was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Deario Wilkerson, 20, was captured in dramatic fashion on Monday at a Memphis home a block away from where he is accused of participating in the fatal shooting of Troy Cunningham, 27, on April 2 after a fight, the U.S. Marshals Service announced in a news release.
Wilkerson had been hiding in an attic in a home in the 1400 block of North Merton Street. Authorities had tracked him to the residence and were searching for him when he broke through the drywall ceiling above the kitchen. He wasn’t hurt and was quickly arrested by a task force of deputy marshals and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and Memphis Police Department’s Fugitive Apprehension teams.
Cunningham was found on a sidewalk near Peres and Merton Street in North Memphis on April 2, suffering a fatal gunshot wound to the back of his head, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
It all happened allegedly over three men taking Cunningham’s pistol and then shooting at him. Police got a call about a disturbance nearby that evening, and while investigating, officers heard multiple gunshots, officials said. A bullet struck a passing car, hitting a woman in the vehicle in the shoulder, prosecutors said. She was hospitalized with non-life-threatening wounds.
Two men were arrested the following month, including one who authorities said took Cunningham’s gun and then shot at him as he ran away. A witness identified a second man as a second shooter who fired at Cunningham as the victim tried to escape for his life. Prosecutors said they issued a warrant for Wilkerson’s arrest on May 9 on charges of first-degree murder and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon.
Video footage caught the confrontation and allegedly shows one assailant pointing a gun at Cunningham, who raised his hands while Wilkerson allegedly lunged at him, local CBS affiliate WREG reported.
A witness heard the suspects tell the victim they were going to take his “Gen,” slang for Glock handgun, the outlet reported.
Wilkerson was among three arrested in May 2023 in connection with a series of Memphis burglaries and vehicle thefts dating to January 2021, local NBC affiliate WMC reported.
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