Nashville’s ‘Top 10 Most Wanted’ fugitives: Teen sought for rapper’s murder
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — As the search for a teen accused of killing a rapper last month continues, he’s now been listed among Nashville’s “Top 10 Most Wanted” fugitives.
The list is updated every Wednesday on the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) Criminal Warrants Division’s Facebook page. According to police, those featured on the list are often considered to be some of the “most violent” offenders in the city.
More than 100 of Nashville’s ‘Most Wanted’ fugitives arrested since 2022
Of the suspects on this week’s list, more than half are wanted for either homicide or charges related to alleged sex crimes. The rest of Nashville’s “Most Wanted” suspects are accused of crimes such as aggravated burglary, aggravated assault and failure to report a dead body.
The newest addition to the list has reportedly been evading police since mid-April, when he was accused of shooting and killing 32-year-old rapper Chris King. At the time, authorities said 19-year-old Adrian Cameron was out on bond for another homicide dating back to Sept. 2021.
Police believe Cameron cut off his ankle monitor shortly after the April 20 shooting. While the search for him and the rest of Nashville’s “Most Wanted” fugitives continues, the list has aided investigators in several arrests.
At least 108 wanted fugitives have been taken into custody since the program began in October 2022, stacking up to a nearly 78% arrest rate. Mateus Alves was one of the most recent suspects to be taken into custody.
‘Most Wanted’ arrest: Teen accused of raping girl at Nashville NYE party
According to officials, Alves is accused of raping a teenage girl during a New Years Eve party in Nashville. While he reportedly turned himself in to police, investigators said tips from the public have aided them in several other “Most Wanted” arrests.
Below is a list of the suspects who made the police department’s “Top 10 Most Wanted” list the week of May 15, 2024.
1. Adrian L. Cameron
At number one, Adrian Cameron, 19, is considered this week’s “Top Most Wanted” fugitive, according to the MNPD. This week is the first time Cameron has appeared on the list. However, police have been looking for him since mid-April.
Investigators said Cameron is one of three suspects in the death of 32-year-old rapper Chris King, who was shot and killed just before 2:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 20. King and his friends were reportedly hanging out in an alleyway between Hayes Street and Church Street that night.
READ MORE: 1 killed, 1 injured in shooting along Hayes Street
Eventually, three other men began interacting with the group. King’s friends told police it started out “cordial,” but after some time, the three suspects allegedly tried to rob them. That’s when gunfire ran out, injuring King and his 29-year-old friend.
Both of them were brought to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, but King did not survive. Cameron, who was out on bond for the 2021 murder of 50-year-old Josh Evans at the time, was identified as a suspect in the shooting only days later.
Officials believe Cameron cut his ankle monitor shortly after the shooting. Cameron had just turned 17 years old when police said he turned himself in for Evans’ murder. Evans was found shot and wrapped in trash bags in the Cumberland River in Sept. 2021.
Cameron was arrested again for gun charges in Rutherford County less than four months after turning himself in for the 2021 murder. He’s now charged with criminal homicide in connection with King’s death, as well as failure to appear.
However, efforts to locate him have been unsuccessful. Anyone with information on Cameron’s whereabouts is asked to contact the MNPD at 615-862-8600 or Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.
2. Lagarrion L. Blacksmith
Lagarrion Blacksmith, 35, has been at the top of Nashville’s “Most Wanted” list for several months as police continue to try to track him down.
He was initially added to the list on Nov. 29, 2023, after investigators said they were able to connect him to a deadly shooting that took place outside a Dickerson Pike bar last year.
Officers found 35-year-old Chancellor Eddins lying on the ground just outside of Trvth Lounge on Feb. 18, 2023. He had been shot and later died at the scene. Another man who had also been hit by the gunfire was able to give officers an account of what happened.
RELATED: Man wanted for homicide, other charges following fatal February shooting on Dickerson Pike
According to police, the injured man told them he and Eddins had gotten into an argument with the suspect inside of the bar. Then, shots were fired as they left the location. At the time, the identity of the alleged shooter was unclear.
Months later, investigators announced Blacksmith had been identified as a suspect. On Nov. 22, 2023, officials said arrest warrants had been issued against Blacksmith for criminal homicide, attempted homicide, and felon in possession of a handgun.
However, efforts to locate him have reportedly been unsuccessful.
3. Jaylen Bender
Jaylen Bender, 22, was recently indicted by a grand jury on charges for aggravated assault with intent and assault with bodily injury, according to police. He was added to the “Most Wanted” list on May 1. Authorities said his last location is unknown.
4. Raceme Crutcher
Police have been looking for Raceme Crutcher, 22, since July 2023, when he was named as one of two suspects in a deadly Fourth of July shooting.
Officials said the shooting happened at the Fallbrook Apartments on Dellway Villa Road. Etabo Malanda, 16, was reportedly standing on the porch of an apartment when two armed individuals came from around the corner and confronted him.
RELATED: Teen killed in shooting at East Nashville apartment complex
Malanda allegedly tried to pull out a pistol that was inside his hoodie, but he was shot. Police said he died shortly after he was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
According to investigators, four guns were recovered from the apartment, including one that was reported stolen. Crutcher and 17-year-old Jaylin Brown were reportedly connected to the crime through witness accounts.
Investigators also obtained surveillance footage and additional information from community members that they said pointed to Crutcher and Brown as suspects in the case. Officials believe the motive may have been an ongoing dispute between the suspects and Malanda.
SEE ALSO: Teen wanted in connection with deadly Fourth of July shooting arrested
Brown was taken into custody on Aug. 31, 2023, after police said they caught him driving a stolen car. However, Crutcher is still on the run. He was added to the “Most Wanted” list on Nov. 15, 2023. His last location is unknown.
5. Michael A. Yarlett
Michael Yarlett, 29, is wanted on three counts of aided and abetted rape, according to police. Court documents indicate he is one of two suspects in the incident, which happened in September 2022.
Yarlett was added to the “Most Wanted” list on Nov. 22, 2023. Officials said his last location is unknown.
6. Adrian Abernathy
Adrian Abernathy, 30, is believed to have been behind the wheel of a stolen car in a deadly October 2022 crash on the Rosa L. Parks Boulevard exit ramp from I-65 North.
Abernathy has outstanding warrants for vehicular homicide, three counts of aggravated assault, felon in possession of a weapon, theft of a motor vehicle, theft of a firearm, reckless endangerment and making a false report.
RELATED: Man wanted after allegedly lying about driving stolen car involved in deadly crash
According to police, Abernathy initially said he was a backseat passenger in the stolen Lincoln Navigator SUV. However, over the course of the investigation, detectives determined the seating positions were reversed and Abernathy was the one driving the car.
Authorities said he was traveling over 100 mph shortly before the crash, which killed 29-year-old Todd Bryant of Antioch.
Abernathy has been featured on the “Most Wanted” list several times since early February 2023. He was added back to the list on May 1 after last being featured in November. Officials said he was last seen in Hermitage.
7. Anthony O. Etuk
Anthony Etuk, 51, is wanted on outstanding warrants for two counts of solicitation of a minor, according to authorities. Etuk first appeared among Nashville’s “Most Wanted” on April 24. He was last seen in Mt. Juliet.
8. Renee L. Mason
Renee Mason, 27, was recently indicted by a grand jury on multiple charges related to two alleged murders that happened in September and October of last year.
The charges against her include two counts of failure to report a dead body, two counts of accessory after the fact and three counts of failure to appear.
Authorities said they found the first victim on Wednesday, Sept. 27. A worker had arrived on Franklin Limestone Road to clear some brush and came across a car that was still smoldering from a fire.
RELATED: Man arrested in connection with ‘badly burned body’ found in Nashville
Before the vehicle was towed, police said they looked inside the trunk and found the “badly burned body” of 37-year-old Elmer Nahum Miranda-Martinez. Detectives believe he was shot and killed before being placed in the trunk.
Kevin Joel Castro-Garcia, 32, a native of Honduras, was identified as his alleged killer and later arrested in October on charges of first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, and more. About a week later, investigators said they had connected Castro-Garcia to a second murder.
He was charged with another count of first-degree murder for the death of Brandon Rivas-Noriega, who had been reported missing earlier that month. As detectives investigated Rivas-Noriega’s disappearance, they learned he frequented a home in Antioch.
Officers searched the home Monday, Oct. 9, and found the owner’s manual for a Ford Focus, Rivas-Noriega’s driver’s license, and paperwork for property at a home in the 1300 block of Rural Hill Road in Antioch.
SEE ALSO: Man charged with murder for second time in one week
When they went to the home on Rural Hill Road, officials said they found the Ford Focus parked behind an abandoned trailer with decomposing human remains in the car’s trunk. An autopsy confirmed the remains were those of Rivas-Noriega.
Police believe Mason knew about both of the murders and tried to help Castro-Garcia cover them up. Court records show she was arrested and later released earlier in May but has since failed to show up for court, leading to a search for her whereabouts.
She was added to the “Most Wanted” list last week. Police said her last location is unknown.
9. Ricky C. Roach
Ricky Roach, 43, who was the subject of a massive manhunt in Cheatham County in 2022, is wanted by police after being indicted on multiple charges out of Davidson County.
Those charges include aggravated burglary, aggravated burglary acting in concert and theft of property less than $250,000. Court records show those offenses date back to March 4, 2022 — only about two months before he escaped from corrections officers at an Ashland City hospital.
At the time, Roach was reportedly serving jail time in Cheatham County for a parole violation. Cheatham County court records indicate that Roach has previously pled guilty to charges for robbery, assault, theft and contempt of court.
SEE ALSO: New details released after escapee’s arrest caught on camera
After hours of searching, the May 26, 2022, manhunt ended when a reserve off-duty Ashland City police officer spotted Roach and held him at gunpoint until other officers arrived.
Following his arrest, Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Ken Miller told News 2, “I’ve been dealing with Mr. Roach for quite some time, pretty much my whole career here actually.”
Now, Metro Nashville police are looking for Roach in connection with more alleged crimes across county lines. Authorities said his last location is unknown.
10. Joseph Cavaleri
Joseph Cavaleri, 39, is wanted by the MNPD on outstanding warrants for five counts of burglary, three counts of theft of property, criminal impersonation and four counts of failure to appear. Cavaleri was added to the list on Feb. 7. Authorities said he was last seen in the Central Precinct.
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Anyone with information on any of the suspects listed is asked to contact the MNPD at 615-862-8600 or Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463.
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