Task force hunted alleged lead gunman in killings

Since early July, a fugitive task force had been banging down doors looking for Donnell Murchison, accused of being the lead gunman in the double homicide at the Piazza at Schmidts.

U.S. marshals, who head the task force with local authorities, offered a $10,000 reward for information leading them to Murchison. They fielded a number of tips.

"Over the course of the investigation, we hit many places looking for him," John Patrignani, acting chief deputy for the U.S. Marshal's Office, said yesterday. "The guys did a voluminous amount of work."

One tip finally paid off Wednesday.

Marshals were told that Murchison, 33, released from prison in September 2007 after serving nearly 10 years for armed robbery, was hiding out in a home on Ryerson Road in Northeast Philadelphia.

The task force set up a stake-out, trying to determine if Murchison were there. After a couple of hours, they were able to confirm the tip, though Patrignani said he did not want to disclose how.

After task force members approached the home, Murchison climbed out a second-story window. He ran into the woods of Pennypack Park, with officers giving chase.

He emerged on the other side of the park.

"Our guys had set up a perimeter, and when he popped out, a member of the public alerted our guys," Patrignani said.

Murchison was not armed when he was arrested.

One deputy marshal was seriously injured during the foot chase when he was hit by a van on nearby Willits Road. The driver was not connected to the investigation.

The marshal was taken to Aria Health-Torresdale Campus with a head injury, bumps, and bruises. Patrignani said that the marshal, who has not been identified, was continuing to improve and "very likely" would be released today.

Murchison was the second of three suspected gunmen to be taken into custody.

Later on Wednesday, the final shooting suspect, Antonio Wright, was arrested, though under less dramatic circumstances.

Police did not have an arrest warrant for Wright, 28. He was brought in for questioning this week, and charged about 10 p.m. Wednesday.

All three gunmen were captured on surveillance cameras entering the Northern Liberties building where victim Rian Thal lived, and then lying in wait for her and Timothy Gilmore, the second victim.

Murchison and Wright were the sixth and seventh people arrested in the case. Both were charged with murder in the June 27 deaths of Thal, 34, and Gilmore, 40, in a drug robbery gone bad.

Will Hook, 40, has been charged as being the mastermind behind a plan to rob Thal, a party planner and a player in the drug underworld. She had four kilograms of cocaine and more than $100,000 in cash in her apartment when she was killed.

Police have said as many as a dozen people could face charges as the case continues to unfold. There were no new arrests or suspect information revealed yesterday.