A manhunt for a convicted killer who fled an Atlanta halfway house ended with his capture in North Carolina. Melvin Barkley, sentenced to 30 years for voluntary manslaughter and additional charges, was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service's Carolina Regional Fugitive Task Force yesterday afternoon without incident. As Atlanta News First reported that Barkley did not return to the Atlanta Transitional Center after his work detail last Friday.
The Georgia Department of Corrections had issued a lookout after Barkley's failure to report back to the center where serves out part of his sentence. Standing at 5 feet 7 inches and weighing 157 pounds, the 36-year-old was serving time for the 2018 killing of Tyler Waters following a fight that escalated into a deadly confrontation. As FOX 5 Atlanta stated that after an initial argument, Waters had won a physical altercation, but Barkley pursued him, eventually stabbing him in the throat, cutting vital arteries, which led to Waters' death.
The escape sparked a search effort led by the Georgia Department of Corrections Fugitive Unit. Barkley was apprehended in Franklin, North Carolina, by a regional task force specializing in tracking down fugitives. The arrest occurred around 2:50 p.m. on February 7. It was noted by the Georgia Department of Corrections, as per FOX 5 Atlanta, that Barkley was apprehended without incident and has since been transported to the Macon County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina, pending his extradition back to Georgia.
The Atlanta Transitional Center, from which Barkley absconded, is a facility for inmates working jobs outside of the traditional prison confines. Inmates, like Barkley, are expected to return after their shifts in the community. Following Barkley's capture, he is likely to face additional charges related to his escape. The specifics of his extradition and subsequent legal proceedings have not yet been disclosed. This incident follows Barkley's guilty plea to voluntary manslaughter and related charges, pertaining to the 2018 incident where he ended the life of Waters in a brutal act stemming from a domestic dispute over living arrangements and unpaid rent.
