You could say their guy just fell into their laps.
A clumsy murder suspect surprised U.S. marshals Monday when he accidentally fell through the ceiling of the Memphis home where he was hiding out just as police were conducting a search of the home.
Diario Wilkerson, 20, was wanted in connection with the shooting death of a city man in early April. According to a press release issued by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Members of the Fugitive Task Force tracked the suspect for several months, eventually zeroing in on a house on North Merton Street, not far from the actual murder scene.
Local and federal police surrounded the home on Monday, but Wilkerson tried to evade authorities by hiding in the attic.
But the perpetrator's weakness to gravity proved unlucky, as he fell through the ceiling and to the floor during the search, the sheriff's department said.
Photos from the scene showed a large hole in the drywall where Wilkerson fell and landed just steps from the kitchen sink.
However, Wilkerson was not injured and authorities arrested him “without further incident,” the release said.
Sheriffs said the arrest capped a months-long manhunt that began in May when a Tennessee judge issued a first-degree murder warrant for Wilkerson in the April 2 killing of a man named Troy Cunningham.
Memphis police found Cunningham's body near the Cavalier Court Apartments in North Memphis after responding to a report of a disturbance. According to the Shelby County District Attorney's Office.
While on scene, police heard gunshots on the block and found Cunningham lying on the sidewalk near the intersection of Merton and Perez streets with a gunshot wound to the back of his head.
Two others have already been arrested and charged with murder, according to the district attorney.
Wilkerson was the only fugitive and was hiding out in a family member's home when authorities found him. According to the New York Times.
Authorities also charged Wilkerson with wanton endangerment, tampering with evidence, reckless driving, vehicle theft, theft of a firearm and evading arrest, the Times reported.
He is being held in the Shelby County Jail on $6 million bail, according to jail records.
He was due to return to court on Thursday.
