A deserter from the Marine Corps wanted in connection with the Nov. 9 shooting death of his mother’s boyfriend in Southwest Virginia has been captured after a weekslong manhunt in the Roanoke area.
The U.S. Marshals Service confirmed Wednesday that Michael Alexander Brown, 22, had been arrested “without incident” in Franklin County near Roanoke.
Brown is accused of fatally shooting his mother’s live-in boyfriend, 54-year-old Rodney W. Brown, at the victim’s home in Hardy, Virginia. Rodney Brown’s body was discovered at the home by another family who called authorities.
The motive for the slaying has not been confirmed, authorities said.
Sheriff’s officials said Brown was a combat engineer in the Marine Corps assigned to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, but deserted his post in mid-October.
He had been spotted in the Roanoke area since he was listed as AWOL. Brown was armed with a rifle and was known to live in the woods.
Authorities said Brown has been charged with second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in a felony.
At a press conference Wednesday, Franklin County Sheriff W.Q. “Bill” Overton Jr. said Brown was arrested inside his mother’s home, the same place where the killing happened nearly three weeks ago.
According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court, his mother told investigators she saw her son kill her boyfriend. She also identified the getaway vehicle, which was later found in South Carolina, hours southwest of Camp Lejeune.
Investigators think he later drove a recreational vehicle to Roanoke and tried to contact his grandmother. Police spotted the camper and used an armored vehicle to destroy it before discovering that Brown was not inside.
Brown was being booked Wednesday morning and will eventually appear in court in Franklin County, Sheriff Overton said.
⦁ This article is based in part on wire service reports.
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