A cross-country manhunt tied to the killing of a Los Angeles rapper in Nashville has ended under the neon lights of Las Vegas. Deputy U.S. Marshals arrested 32-year-old Trayvon Palmer on Tuesday, capping months of searching. Authorities say his return to Nashville is pending in the 2024 robbery-related shooting that left rapper Christopher Cheeks dead outside a Midtown recording studio.
Manhunt ends in Las Vegas
Deputy U.S. Marshals in Las Vegas took Palmer into custody Tuesday, the Metro Nashville Police Department said on social media, according to WSMV. Officials reported that arrangements are underway to bring him back to Tennessee so he can face the charges waiting in Davidson County. The arrest follows months of investigators chasing tips and leads across multiple states after Palmer was identified as a suspect.
Indictment and case background
According to a Metro Nashville Police Department news release, Palmer is wanted on a multi-count indictment that includes first-degree murder, robbery, and weapons charges in the April 20, 202,4 fatal shooting of Cheeks, who performed under the stage name Chris King. MNPD says Cheeks, 32, was in an alley next to a Hayes Street recording studio when three men approached him, and an attempted robbery turned into gunfire. Detectives publicly named Palmer as a fugitive in December 2025 while they pursued leads in the Los Angeles area.
Earlier arrests and timeline
Two other men, Amir Carroll and Adrian Cameron Jr., had already been arrested in connection with the killing and remain jailed in Nashville on first-degree murder charges. Carroll was taken into custody in February 2025, and Cameron was captured in Los Angeles in May 2025, according to reports, per WSMV. Throughout the investigation, MNPD’s Homicide Unit has worked closely with federal partners.
What’s next
With Palmer now behind bars in Las Vegas, prosecutors are expected to move forward with extradition to Davidson County so he can be brought before a local court on the indictment, the Metro Nashville Police Department said. A first-degree murder conviction would carry the most severe penalties available under Tennessee law. Investigators are still asking anyone with information to contact MNPD, and officials have not yet released a timeline for Palmer’s extradition or first court appearance.
