Deangelo Demarcus Dews, convicted of first-degree murder after he left a Hamilton County courtroom during a lunch break, is now on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Most Wanted list.
The TBI said Friday that Dews is wanted by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office and the bureau for first-degree murder and possession of a firearm with a prior violent felony conviction. A reward of up to $2,500 is being offered for information leading to his arrest, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Left During A Lunch Break
Dews was last seen in court on Nov. 6 and did not come back after the lunch break, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported. That afternoon, authorities were already searching for the Hamilton County defendant, who at that point was still on trial.
The search had a specific electronic trail. Hamilton County Pretrial Services notified Judge Dunn at 12:46 p.m. that Dews's ankle monitor had registered a tampering alert, the Times Free Press reported. Ten minutes later, she was told the unit was stationary at his residence.
The Jury Went On Without Him
The case did not stop with the empty chair. A Hamilton County jury convicted Dews on Monday, three days after he disappeared, of first-degree murder and a firearm charge, the Times Free Press reported.
The trial had opened only days earlier. Prosecutor Charles Minor accused Dews, 31, of first-degree murder during opening statements on Nov. 3 in Hamilton County Criminal Court, according to the Times Free Press.
The Bayberry Apartments Shooting
The conviction concerns the April 2024 fatal shooting of Kendric Evans, 27, at the Bayberry Apartments in Chattanooga, the Times Free Press reported. Evans was 27.
By Friday, Local 3 reported that the Chattanooga man, convicted after leaving court on the lunch recess, had been placed on the TBI Most Wanted list. The bureau's own alert says he should be considered dangerous. Local 3 reported that the TBI said he should be considered armed and dangerous.
The Description And The Numbers
The TBI alert lists Dews as a 31-year-old Black man, 5 feet 8 inches tall, with brown eyes and black hair. It also lists NCIC number W166208948. Published descriptions of his weight do not match, so that figure is not included here.
Tips can go to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-TBI-FIND or the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office at 423-209-7296. The posted reward is up to $2,500 for information leading to his arrest.
