U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the capture of a fugitive wanted for murder who escaped custody twice in the Caribbean.
Orville Andrew Pernell, a 32-year-old Jamaican citizen, was apprehended by ICE Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special agents in Savannah, Georgia, following an extensive investigation and multinational manhunt on April 4.
Pernell is accused of committing a brutal murder in St Lucia in 2020 and had been a fugitive for several years. He escaped from custody in St Lucia during his murder trial and fled to Jamaica.
In 2021, he was arrested in Jamaica and escaped from custody there as well. U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered Pernell on December 7, 2022, near San Ysidro, California, after he attempted to enter the United States using a fake identity. He was paroled into the country and given a notice to appear.
In July of 2023, Pernell was arrested by the Clayton County Sheriff in Clayton County, Georgia, for possessing a stolen motorcycle and attempting to evade arrest. During the arrest, police discovered a stolen 9mm handgun.
ICE HSI, working alongside the ATF, located and arrested Pernell after their investigation led them to the Savannah area. He was taken into custody without incident. Pernell faces charges for being an alien in possession of a weapon, and after he is extradited back to St Lucia, he will stand trial for murder.
