EMPORIA, Va. - Police say a man accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend in front of her teenage son early Friday morning in Emporia was apprehended by U.S. Marshals without incident in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
Lamont V. George is accused of shooting and killing Michelle Roper, 36, at about 5:25 a.m. Friday along the 900 block of Reese Street in Emporia.
Yellow tape marks the crime scene where police said Roper's teenage son witnessed the shooting inside the home.
"Officers responded within a minute and found Roper lying in the front yard deceased from an apparent gunshot wound," Emporia Police Chief Don Wyatt said.
By the time police arrived, the suspect had taken off in a stolen car.
"The vehicle actually belonged to the victim. We've recovered it,” Emporia Police Chief Don Wyatt said.
Michelle Roper
Investigators said George and Roper have had problems in the past and called their relationship “on-again, off-again."
Police were called to the Reese Street home at least once on a previous domestic violence call. And officials said at least one restraining order had been issued in the past.
Wyatt said the suspect broke into the house for one reason: to confront the victim.
Police have not found the weapon used in the shooting and said George should be considered armed and dangerous.
Emporia Police issued a "be-on-the-lookout" to other police departments so they could join in the search for George.
Warrants for George include murder, attempted murder, breaking and entering and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
