Murder suspect seized in raid

Deputy U.S. Marshals arrested a Florida murder suspect Wednesday in a town house near Manassas, after he got back from what they believe was a trip to Georgia, an official with the U.S. Marshall’s Office said.

Ricky Wayne Brown, 49, of an unknown address in Northern Florida, is accused of shooting a man in the head, putting his body in a freezer, and dumping it in a Nassau County, Fla., river March 11. He was charged May 14. The crime is apparently drug-related, said Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Kevin Connelly, of the Eastern District of Virginia fugitive squad. Brown was visiting an acquaintance here who was unaware of his fugitive status.

Brown is suspected of another murder-robbery in Nassau, sources close to the investigation said Wednesday.

Eastern District Marshals received a tip on Brown’s whereabouts from their Northern Florida counterparts May 29. Brown is originally from the Seven Corners area of Fairfax County.

Details about how the tip was developed were unavailable Wednesday. Marshals and county police were watching the house at 7761 Gates Head Lane for a few days when Brown arrived Wednesday around 11 a.m., just as they were ending surveillance for the day. Prince William police, including a K-9 team, set up a perimeter to back up the entry team of seven deputy marshals that made the arrest.

A neighbor said police were at the edge of the road with tire spikes.

When deputies arrived at the door, the man let them in. Brown was hiding in an upstairs closet, Connelly said.

Authorities found an empty holster on the bathroom floor, but no weapon was there, Connelly said. The owner gave them permission to search the house off Sudley Manor near the Splashdown Water Park.

A neighbor who witnesses the Marshals’ entry, was unnerved by the whole thing. Although the operation was quick and “extremely efficient,” it was nerve-racking, said the man who refused to identify himself.

Staff writer Daniel Drew can be reached at (703) 878-8065.