Child Murder Suspect and Marshals MOST WANTED Fugitive Captured in Florida

Luxon Coriolan, 23, on the U.S. Marshals 15 MOST WANTED fugitive list since September, was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida, today at 1:30 pm.  Coriolan, a Haitian native and criminal gang member, was sought on two counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, and firearms violations in New Jersey, as well as two prior warrants involving criminal sexual contact against a minor, and kidnapping.

The hunt for Coriolan ended outside an auto parts store when two Marshals-led arrest teams surrounded him and a colleague as they prepared to enter their car.  The fugitive was overwhelmed and unable to resist capture.  A quantity of marijuana was recovered and Coriolan’s associate also was arrested.   

Several leads in the case drew an investigative team of Deputy Marshals from New Jersey to Florida.  They were joined by special agents from the FBI and investigators from the Essex County New Jersey Prosecutor’s Office.  Assisting with the operation were Deputy U.S. Marshals from the Jacksonville office and members of the Marshals-sponsored Northeast Florida Fugitive Task Force.

Coriolan is currently being held in the Duval County Detention Center, pending extradition to New Jersey.  He has a substantial criminal record that includes a felony conviction, probation violations, and earlier charges relating to weapons, drugs, and aggravated assault.

According to witnesses, on August 20, 2003, a gold Acura drove near a group of people in front of a building in East Orange, New Jersey and an individual identified as Coriolan aimed and fired a shotgun at the group.  A young father, Flynn Myers, 21, huddled over the two youngsters trying to shield them, but he and four-year-old Navianna Hyppolite (pictured on the right) were struck and killed in a hail of gunfire.  A friend of Myers also was wounded.  East Orange Police say that an argument had taken place between the gunman and an unidentified individual earlier in the day near the spot of the shooting.  The suspect had vowed to return later, they said.  Press accounts described Meyers as a popular local resident who gave his life in a heroic action.  The brutal attack sparked a passionate community outcry, as well as a regional manhunt.

The United States Marshals adopted this case based on a formal request from the FBI and the Essex County, NJ Prosecutor’s Office. The fugitive hunt was directed by Deputy Marshals in the District of New Jersey warrant squad, with the support of the Marshals’ New York/ New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force.

The U.S. Marshals 15 MOST WANTED listing focuses national and international law enforcement attention on violent and major criminal fugitives.  Annually, investigations carried out by the U.S. Marshals result in the apprehension of approximately 34,000 federal fugitives. More federal fugitives are arrested by Marshals than all other federal agencies combined.  Last year, U.S. Marshals task forces arrested more than 27,000 state and local fugitives on felony charges.

For more information about United States Marshals please go to www.usmarshals.gov. 

Original wanted announcement