Marine deserter accused of murder is caught at the Virginia home where the victim was killed, authorities say

No one else was in the house when the arrest happened, Sellers said.

“This has been an intense manhunt for the past 18 days, covering three states and multiple surrounding jurisdictions. I am thankful this situation has come to a successful closure,” Franklin County Sheriff Bill Overton said.

He was being booked into a county jail on Wednesday morning. Overton said he didn’t know when Brown’s first court appearance would happen.

He’s charged with second-degree murder

Brown deserted his post at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina in October.

The law enforcement hunt for him began after the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office responded to a shooting call at the Franklin County home, where they found Rodney Brown dead in the home, authorities said.

Rodney Brown’s girlfriend — who is Michael Brown’s mother — called police after finding Rodney’s body in the house, Franklin County sheriff’s Capt. Phillip Young said.

Overton, the sheriff, declined Wednesday to answer a reporter’s question about whether Michael Brown and Rodney Brown are related.

Michael Brown is charged with second-degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of a felony. The motive in the killing is unclear.

The manhunt prompted school closures

The caller told investigators that a man in a black jacket was tapping on a window at Brown’s grandmother’s house, Roanoke police Chief Tim Jones said. Officers responded and were “able to confirm to the best of our ability that it was Mr. Brown,” he said.

Authorities had warned that Brown was believed to be armed with a high-powered rifle and was known to frequent national parks and forests.

The US Marshals Service had offered a reward of $10,000 for information that helped lead to the location and arrest of Brown.