The FBI has captured one of the Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.
Lamont Stephenson was arrested early Thursday morning by Prince George's County Police Department in Maryland after officers received reports of a suspicious vehicle, Chief Henry Stawinski said at a Thursday evening press conference. Stephenson initially told officers he was homeless and trying to get out of the weather, but after officers asked for his name, Stephenson confessed that he was wanted for several crimes. Officers also discovered a gun in his possession.
"I am proud to announce after 147 days on the Top 10 list, Lamont Stephenson was arrested this morning," FBI Newark Special Agent in Charge Gregory Ehrie said at a press conference in New Jersey. "One hundred and 47 days ago, I stood in this room and spoke to members of the press with my partners from the local and state entities behind you and we said that the world becomes a very small place and we warned Mr. Stephenson that he would be found."
Stephenson is charged with the strangulation death of his fiancée, Olga DeJesus. Authorities say DeJesus and Stephenson knew each other as teenagers and reconnected as adults at a high school reunion in 2014. The pair got engaged to be married after a "whirlwind romance," Priddy said.
Stephenson is accused of asphyxiating DeJesus and her dog in her Newark, New Jersey apartment in Oct. 2014. He was last seen at Newark's Penn Station the day of DeJesus' death.
“There is no doubt that Stephenson is a threat to the community and should be considered extremely dangerous,” said Special Agent Carl Priddy in a news release at the time.
Stephenson is also accused of the fatal stabbing of 40-year-old Natina Kiah. Police discovered her body and her cat after responding to a welfare call at her residence Wednesday night, just hours before the suspect was captured in Maryland.
A $100,000 reward was being offered for information that led to Stephenson's capture, but it's unclear whether anyone would be eligible for the reward.
Photo: Federal Bureau of Investigation