A months-long manhunt has wrapped up with the arrest of the final suspect in a brazen Irvine home invasion that left a family bound with duct tape and staring down the barrel of a gun. Authorities say 23-year-old Darnell Trevon Anderson Walker was tracked to Las Vegas, arrested there, and is now awaiting extradition to Orange County. Prosecutors allege the crew targeted a house in the 5000 block of Royale Avenue to steal cryptocurrency worth millions.
According to a news release from the Orange County District Attorney's Office, as per CBS Los Angeles, Walker was located in Nevada and arrested by the U.S. Marshals on Dec. 1. He was booked in Orange County on Dec. 2 and faces multiple felony counts, including four counts of kidnapping to commit robbery, first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary, along with firearm and “acting in concert” enhancements.
Break-in and surveillance leads
Prosecutors say the early-morning Sept. 23 break-in began when intruders smashed glass to get into the home on Royale Avenue. Two men and two women inside were restrained with duct tape while the suspects tore through the house. Investigators later identified the alleged crew in part through technology: a victim's Tesla camera captured a white Dodge Charger outside the property, and detectives reviewed surveillance footage of purchases tied to the suspects, as reported by MyNewsLA.
How investigators connected suspects
Police say a license-plate reader eventually pinged on the Dodge Charger in Fontana. When officers found the car, they say it contained items that linked the vehicle to members of the alleged robbery crew, including an inmate ID and a PayPal debit card. One defendant later allegedly told detectives the family had been singled out because they held cryptocurrency, according to New Santa Ana.
Who’s charged and where they are
Six other defendants had already been arrested and now face the same felony counts. Prosecutors have identified them as Nathan Sin, Kahlil Thomas Ware, Lee Roy Ford, Jazamine Louise Garner, Mike O Clarence Bonam-Hillman and Tommy Levion-Elijah Davis. Some remain jailed without bail, while others have posted bond. One defendant who is also tied to a separate July case was released over prosecutors' objections, as noted by CBS Los Angeles.
Charges and potential penalties
Each defendant faces a stack of serious charges that could translate into decades behind bars if they are convicted. Walker alone is accused of four counts of kidnapping to commit robbery, first-degree robbery and burglary, plus a list of enhancements that prosecutors say could add up to a 44-years-to-life term, plus additional years in prison, as stated by MyNewsLA.
With Walker in custody, investigators say the lineup in the case is now complete, capping an effort that has stretched across multiple agencies and state lines since late September. “There is no escaping the long arm of Orange County law enforcement,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement to New Santa Ana, crediting the work of the U.S. Marshals and local detectives. Walker is expected to be extradited to Orange County to face arraignment.
