Fugitive Captured After Five Years on the Run for Connecticut Murder

A Five-Year Hunt Comes to an End

Curtis Cole, 47, is charged with murder in connection with the June 6, 2021, shooting death of 38-year-old Jonquay Morrison in Hamden, Connecticut. On Wednesday, July 29, that five-year pursuit ended when federal agents tracked Cole across state lines and took him into custody. For the Morrison family, it marked a long-awaited turning point in a case that had gone unresolved for half a decade.

On June 6, 2021, the Hamden Police Department responded to a reported shots-fired incident in the area of 20 Hamden Park Drive. When they arrived, they found Morrison with gunshot wounds. He later died. What followed was a years-long investigation that would ultimately stretch from Connecticut to New Jersey before yielding an arrest.

How Investigators Tracked Cole Down

Authorities said an arrest warrant for Cole was issued July 23 after an extensive investigation. The Connecticut Violent Fugitive Task Force developed information indicating Cole was in New Jersey and asked the U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force to assist. The coordination between multiple agencies across two states proved to be the key that finally cracked the case open.

The task force located Cole in Camden, New Jersey, and arrested him without incident. He is being held at the Camden County Sheriff's Office pending extradition to Connecticut. Cole was transported to the Camden County Sheriff's Office, where he is being held pending extradition to Connecticut with a court-set bond of $3 million. That substantial bond reflects the severity of the charges he now faces.

The Charges Against Cole

Curtis Cole, 47, of Camden, New Jersey, has been charged with murder, illegal discharge of a firearm, criminal possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, and criminal possession of a pistol or revolver. The breadth of the charges paints a picture of not just a single act of violence, but a pattern of alleged illegal weapons conduct surrounding it.

Cases like this one illustrate both the patience required in cold investigations and the reach of federal fugitive task forces. A suspect crossing state lines may believe distance offers protection — but the involvement of U.S. Marshals fundamentally changes that calculation. These task forces are specifically built to pursue violent offenders wherever they go, and their record speaks for itself. Since the inception of the U.S. Marshals – Connecticut Violent Fugitive Task Force in 1999, these partnerships have resulted in over 11,046 arrests. The task force's objective is to seek out and arrest violent fugitives and sexual predators.

What Comes Next

Cole now awaits extradition back to Connecticut, where he will face the full weight of the charges filed against him. The extradition process can take weeks, depending on legal proceedings in New Jersey, but with a $3 million bond set, Cole is unlikely to be walking free anytime soon. Once back in Connecticut, prosecutors will have the opportunity to lay out the case they spent five years building.

For the Hamden community, the arrest closes a painful chapter of uncertainty. Jonquay Morrison was 38 years old when he was killed outside a residential area on a summer afternoon in 2021. His case is now one step closer to justice — a reminder that while some investigations take years, the pursuit doesn't stop.