Marine deserter accused of murder arrested in Virginia after manhunt
A manhunt for a Marine deserter ended at the Virginia home where he allegedly killed his mother's live-in boyfriend, authorities said. Michael Alexander Brown was on the run for over two weeks before he was arrested without incident Wednesday morning.
Brown, 22, abandoned his post at North Carolina's Camp Lejeune around October 18, according to the Franklin County Sheriff's Office. Authorities believe he shot and killed his mother's boyfriend, Rodney Brown, on November 9.
Sheriff Bill Overton Jr. told reporters during a press conference Wednesday that Brown was arrested around 8 a.m. at his mother's home in Hardy, Virginia, outside Roanoke. Acting U.S. Marshal Brad Sellers said investigators received information that led them to refocus on the home.
Authorities contacted Brown at the home and took him into custody, Sellers said. No one else was at the home during the arrest, he said.
Overton said the manhunt for Brown covered three states. Brown appeared to be in "fine" condition, Overton said.