MONONGALIA COUNTY, W.Va. – Multiple agencies apprehended a murder suspect on I-79 northbound just outside Morgantown.
Members of the U.S. Marshals Mountain State Task Force, the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department, the West Virginia State Police, the Westover Police Department, and the Star City Police Department arrested William Fitzgerald, 50, of Pennsylvania, on I-79 northbound near mile marker 155.
Fitzgerald is accused of the stabbing death of his estranged wife, Tarea Washington, 47. Washington was found handcuffed and stabbed in her Arlington home.
A witness told police Washington and Fitzgerald were going through a divorce that was to be final in February. Records show Washington filed for divorce Nov. 1.
“The U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force is designed to assist state and local law enforcement in apprehending the most dangerous felons, and this arrest is a perfect example.” “The Marshals Service was glad to assist in this case and safely bring this suspect to justice,” said Acting U.S. Marshal Terry Moore.
Law enforcement agencies in Harrison, Marion, and Monongalia Counties were alerted and began watching interstate traffic after federal officials received information Fitzgerald could be traveling through the area.