Illinois Man Indicted for Utica Homicide Captured by U.S. Marshals

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UTICA, NY — June 23, 2025 — On April 22, 2025, Utica Police publicly released details surrounding a homicide on Walker Street that claimed the life of 33-year-old Omar Mitchell. The case was taken up by the Utica Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit, which quickly identified a suspect: 32-year-old Darius Steward of Illinois.

As the investigation progressed, the Oneida County District Attorney’s Office brought the case before a grand jury. The result: an indictment charging Steward with second-degree murder.

Following the indictment, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Warrants Unit, working in coordination with the Utica Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, launched a multi-agency effort to track down the suspect. By early June, investigators received a tip that Steward was hiding out in Springfield, Illinois.

With the help of the local U.S. Marshals Task Force in Springfield, Steward was located and taken into custody without incident. He was extradited to New York and, on June 23, 2025, officially booked, arraigned, and remanded to the Oneida County Jail.

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