A Gainesville man who’s been on the run since he killed a local man was caught Sunday morning in Hampton, Va., by the U.S. Marshals Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force.
Officials arrested Larry Whitehead Jr., 26, on charges of first-degree murder, armed burglary and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after witnesses identified him as the man responsible for the July murder of Samuel Hamilton, according to a U.S. Marshals press release.
Hamilton, 37, was shot in Unit 4110 of Southern Pine Apartments, near the Woodlands complex.
Based on information gathered by detectives, the task force started the investigation in Virginia.
Last week, the force confirmed Whitehead was staying in New York and found his clothes and an air mattress in a home where he was believed to be hiding.
The task force got word Saturday night that Whitehead returned to Virginia and was hiding at a house in Hampton, according to the release.
After watching the house for a short time, Marshals found Whitehead inside and arrested him.
He was booked into the Hampton City Jail later that day with no bond.
The arrest came as a relief to 22-year-old Lakeria Montgomery, who was sleeping in the same bed as Hamilton when Whitehead shot him.
“I can’t believe it,” Montgomery said Sunday evening. “There’s peace in my mind now.”
Montgomery said she was in an open relationship with Whitehead, who originally said he was OK with the arrangement.
However, he wanted more commitment from Montgomery than she could give him, she told the Alligator in August.
“I told him, ‘I’m not the girl for you,’ and gave him the choice to leave,” she said. “You think you can make somebody love you, but you just can’t do that.”
Montgomery isn’t sure if she’s ever going to speak to Whitehead again, she said.
But for now, his arrest is enough closure.
“I just want to move on with my life,” she said. “I’m ready to move on with my life.”
Along with the Florida Regional Fugitive Task Force, the arrest was made in collaboration with Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force in Virginia and the New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force in New York.
Whitehead has a previous criminal background, according to court records.
His history includes aggravated assault and armed robbery charges, according to court records.
A version of this story ran on page 1 on 9/16/2013 under the headline "Man arrested for summer killing in Gainesville"
