MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - A fugitive wanted for more than a decade in connection with the 2012 killing of his wife in Miami Gardens has been arrested in California, police said.
According to Miami Gardens Police, 41-year-old Ramone O’Neil Clayton was taken into custody Oct. 27 in San Diego by members of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Task Force, the FBI, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
“I want the community to hear this loud and clear, we don’t forget. Justice has no expiration date,” said Miami Gardens Police Chief Delma Noel-Pratt.
Investigators said Clayton shot and killed his wife, 35-year-old Stephanie Ulette Clayton, during a gathering at a home on Northwest 207th Street in Miami Gardens on Sept. 23, 2012.
“Mr. Clayton pushed Mrs. Clayton into the ground, and then proceeded to shoot her in the head,” said officer Jeanty.
Witnesses identified Clayton as the shooter, and he fled the scene in a vehicle, police said.
An arrest warrant was issued at the time for second-degree murder and use of a firearm during the commission of a felony, but Clayton managed to evade capture for 13 years despite ongoing efforts by Miami Gardens detectives and U.S. Marshals.
Authorities said they received a recent tip about Clayton’s whereabouts in San Diego, leading to his arrest.
“He said, ‘You got me.’ That was it, his exact words,” said Sergeant Jeremy McIntyre.
Officials held a press conference on Wednesday where a family member of Stephanie spoke.
“She was always the life of everything, [the] life of the family,” one relative said. “When she walked in a place, you can’t help but love her.”
Her youngest daughter had a message for the accused killer.
“It hurt and I honestly hope that one day he’ll be able to hear my voice and see my face,” she said.
He is currently being held without bond at the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office Central Jail, pending extradition to Florida.
He is expected to face second-degree murder charges.
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