Suspect in 3 murders arrested after manhunt in Arkansas

A man with an extensive criminal past who was wanted in connection with at least three murders – two in Oklahoma and one in Alabama – was arrested Thursday morning in Arkansas after a two-day manhunt, authorities said.

The man, Stacy Lee Drake, 50, was arrested “without incident” after being found in a wooded area in Morrilton, Arkansas, in the central part of the state, the Arkansas Department of Public Safety said in a statement. Warrants have been issued for Mr. Drake’s arrest in connection with two murders in Oklahoma this week and the killing of a man in Alabama in May, authorities said.

Mr. Drake also had warrants issued for his arrest in several jurisdictions for other crimes, including aggravated robbery and auto theft, the Arkansas Department of Public Safety said. He was being held at the Conway County Detention Center on Thursday.

A motive for the murders has not yet been determined. It was unclear whether Mr. Drake had a lawyer.

“What drove him to become a person who violently attacks and murders people? I don’t know,” Captain Jack Kennedy, head of the violent crimes unit of the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama, told reporters at a news conference on Thursday.

A man and woman were found dead Tuesday at a propane store in Gans, Oklahoma, in the eastern part of the state, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said in a statement Wednesday. The man and woman, Taylor Sharp and Tara Underwood, were shot to death, according to court documents.

Investigators had identified Mr. Drake as one of the people involved in the killings based on surveillance video, which showed him leaving the store in Ms. Underwood’s GMC Acadia, court documents say.

Her SUV was later seen by police outside a Motel 6 in Morrilton, Arkansas, about 120 miles east of Gans, Oklahoma, court records show.

Before Mr. Drake was found, authorities in Arkansas warned the public that he was “believed to be armed and dangerous.” He had purchased camping equipment, authorities said.

Mr. Drake was also linked to the May 14 killing of a man in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Captain Kennedy said Thursday. The man, Russell Andrews, was found shot to death in a downtown Tuscaloosa building that houses an Alcoholics Anonymous center, Captain Kennedy said.

Hours after Mr. Andrews was killed, his vehicle was stolen and later seen on a highway near the Arkansas-Oklahoma border, Captain Kennedy said.

Captain Kennedy said Mr Andrews had been a long-time volunteer at the AA centre, adding it was unclear what motive anyone might have had for killing him.

“Nobody had anything bad to say about him,” said Captain Kennedy. “He was never violent.”

Before Mr. Andrews was murdered, Mr. Drake had been in Tuscaloosa for a week or two, Captain Kennedy said, describing Mr. Drake as “a transient” with no fixed address and no proof of employment.

“He used a false name and may have dressed differently, including hats and glasses, when he was in Tuscaloosa,” Captain Kennedy said. “It appears he traveled around the country using this lifestyle and false names to avoid incarceration.”

Captain Kennedy said it was possible that Mr. Drake was responsible for a fourth murder.

“It would not surprise me if, because of his lifestyle, there are other murders that remain unsolved in other jurisdictions,” Captain Kennedy said.

Mr. Drake has an “extensive” criminal history in several states that includes robberies, car thefts and kidnappings, Captain Kennedy said.

“If you look at his criminal history,” Captain Kennedy said, “his violent behavior has steadily escalated.”