UTICA — A 32-year-old Illinois man has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection with the April death of a Utica resident.
Darius Steward was taken into custody in Springfield, Illinois, in early June and arraigned in Oneida County on June 23, according to the Utica Police Department.
The charges stem from the April 22 death of Omar Mitchell, 33, on Walker Street.
The Utica Police Department Major Crimes Unit handled the investigation and quickly identified a suspect.
The Oneida County District Attorney’s Office presented the case to a grand jury, which returned an indictment for murder in the second degree.
The case was assigned to the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office Warrants Unit, which worked with the U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force and Utica Police Department Warrants Unit to locate Steward.
Police received information in early June that Steward might be in the Springfield, Illinois, area.
The U.S. Marshal’s Fugitive Task Force in that area assisted in locating and arresting Steward.
Steward was booked and sent to the Oneida County Jail following his arraignment.
