Authorities have apprehended 28-year-old Zashawntray Pickett in DeKalb County, Atlanta, following a warrant for his arrest in connection with the murder of his girlfriend's 10-month-old baby. FOX 5 reports that the FBI arrested Pickett on Saturday, after the child was pronounced dead last Tuesday at Lurie’s Children’s Hospital in Chicago.
The events leading to the infant's hospitalization and subsequent death have not been detailed, but Rockford, Illinois, police and the FBI identified Pickett as a suspect immediately after the tragedy. Alongside the first-degree murder charge, WSBTV notes that Pickett was also wanted on six additional outstanding warrants ranging from domestic battery to burglary.
Collaboration between federal and local law enforcement facilitated Pickett's capture, which involved the FBI alongside both Atlanta and DeKalb County Police Departments. Pickett's arrest occurred without incident, and he is now booked into the DeKalb County Jail, facing the full measure of law enforcement scrutiny and awaiting extradition to Illinois.
Before his latest brush with the law, Pickett was already a man marked by allegations of domestic violence, stalking, and property damage. His list of prior offenses suggests a pattern that law enforcement has been grappling with for some time. It is expected that Pickett will be extradited back to Illinois to face his charge, although official comments regarding the timing and process of the extradition have not been provided.
