SAVANNAH, Ga. — A man on the run and wanted for murder was captured in Savannah by members of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
According to ICE, Orville Andrew Pernell, 32 of Jamaica, was taken into custody in Savannah on April 4 after a multinational manhunt.
Pernell was wanted for a 2020 murder in St. Lucia, in the Caribbean, where he was accused of escaping custody during a murder trial and fleeing to Jamaica.
ICE said he’d been a fugitive for several years, but was encountered near California by members of the U.S. Border Patrol in December 2022 while trying to enter the United States with a fake identity.
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In July 2023, Pernell was arrested by the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia for having a stolen motorcycle and trying to evade arrest. When he was taken into custody then, police found a stolen 9mm handgun.
“We are committed to tracking down fugitives who pose a serious threat to public safety, no matter where they may try to hide,” ICE HSI Special Agent in Charge Atlanta Steven N. Schrank, said. “This operation highlights our ongoing work to dismantle criminal networks and bring violent individuals to justice. We are thankful for our local, state, and international law enforcement partners who helped us secure this arrest.”
ICE said Pernell was eventually found after the federal investigation took them to Savannah, where he was taken into custody without incident.
Federal officials said Pernell faces charges of being an alien in possession of a weapon and is being extradited back to St. Lucia to stand trial for murder.
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