Updated: Philadelphia-area murder brought investigators to Endicott: What to know
Three people wanted in connection with a January homicide in a Philadelphia suburb have been captured in Endicott.
Wednesday evening, U.S. marshals and local law enforcement representatives arrested Damon Brantley, 18, Daquan Allen, 29, both of Norristown, Pennsylvania, and Jerry Butler, 28, of Philadelphia, at 1104 Monroe St. in Endicott.
The suspects all face charges of first- and second-degree murder and robbery, along with other charges, in connection with the Jan. 20 shooting death of William Carter on West Wood Street in Norristown, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele.
“The arrest of these three dangerous defendants happened quickly thanks to the widespread sharing of the defendants’ photos by the public and by the media, which added pressure to these men,” said Steele, who also commended the work of the U.S. Marshals Service and Broome County law enforcement agencies.
Norristown police officers found Carter dead on the sidewalk after responding to a report of shots fired.
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Video surveillance captured the three men as they ran from a gray Toyota RAV-4 and robbed Carter. After the defendants robbed the victim, Brantley fired three times in quick succession, shooting Carter once in the head, killing him, Steele said.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Marshals Service notified Broome County sheriff's deputies who were assigned to the NY/NJ Regional Task Force that the murder suspects were possibly staying at the Endicott residence.
Robert Clark, supervising deputy marshal with the U.S. Marshals Service Eastern Pennsylvania headquarters in Philadelphia, said he can't speak to details of how the suspects were located, but said leads pointed investigators northward.
"It went down pretty quick," Clark said. "We believed we had all three in a house at the same time. It worked out really well."
Clark said marshals from the Philadelphia office traveled to Broome County to meet up with other marshals stationed locally and area law enforcement agencies to carry out the operation.
Sheriff's deputies were able to gather enough probable cause to obtain a search warrant for the Monroe Street residence.
The Southern Tier SWAT Team, along with Broome County Special Investigations Unit Task Force, U.S. Marshals Service, and uniformed members of the sheriff’s office and Endicott police executed the warrant around 7:20 p.m.
Brantley, Allen and Butler were taken into custody without incident and no weapons were found, Clark said.
The residence was a multi-family dwelling and other occupants were evacuated as the warrant was being executed.
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Broome County sheriff's detectives then assisted U.S. marshals and Montgomery County detectives with a secondary search warrant for the residence, where evidence from the murder was reportedly recovered.
Endicott Police Chief Patrick Garey praised the "outstanding efforts, professionalism, and teamwork" of local law enforcement agencies. Due to those efforts, he said, "three people suspected of a heinous murder in the Philadelphia area are now safely off the streets."
"I’m exceptionally proud of the work our collective team put in to make sure this operation was conducted with the expertise and efficiency our community expects from local law enforcement," Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar added.
Following their arrest, Brantley, Allen and Butler were taken to the Broome County jail to await extradition to Pennsylvania.
A fourth suspect in the case, a juvenile, was taken into custody separately, and faces the same charges, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.
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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Philadelphia-area murder brings investigators to Endicott