Multi-Agency Task Force Captures New Orleans Murder Suspect Hiding Across Parish Lines

A Fugitive Found, Miles From the Crime Scene

A 21-year-old New Orleans man accused of killing a 42-year-old father in a quiet neighborhood shooting was taken into custody across parish lines on Thursday, July 23 — the result of a coordinated law enforcement dragnet that stretched from the streets of New Orleans to the suburbs of Slidell. The arrest closed a two-week manhunt that began with a predawn shooting and ended with federal agents closing in on a residential neighborhood far from where the crime occurred.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office confirmed that 21-year-old Dennis Stewart, a New Orleans murder suspect, was arrested early Thursday morning in the Slidell area by members of the U.S. Marshals E/LA New Orleans Fugitive Task Force. Stewart was wanted by the New Orleans Police Department for second-degree murder.

The Shooting That Started It All

Just before 6 a.m. on July 8, police responded to a report of a shooting in the 4700 block of Laine Avenue. Officers found the victim, 42-year-old Montell Robbins, and he was transported to a local hospital by New Orleans EMS, where he later died. The Plum Orchard neighborhood, tucked in New Orleans' eastern reaches, was left reeling. Later that day, police were seen going in and out of a home near the intersection of Laine and Leeds , as investigators worked to piece together what had happened in the early morning hours.

Stewart was identified as a suspect during the investigation. But by the time authorities zeroed in on him, he was no longer in New Orleans. He was located in the Huntwyck neighborhood in Slidell and arrested by the U.S. Marshals New Orleans Fugitive Task Force, NOPD Violent Offender Warrant Squad officers, and St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office deputies. Crossing a parish line doesn't put a suspect out of reach — and this case proved exactly that.

The Power of a Multi-Agency Task Force

The U.S. Marshals E/LA New Orleans Fugitive Task Force brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to locate and apprehend violent fugitives. That kind of coordination is what makes these operations effective. A suspect who slips out of one jurisdiction doesn't simply disappear — they move into the reach of a broader network that shares intelligence, resources, and manpower across county and parish lines.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office is an active partner in the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force and has a detective assigned to the task force. Detectives with the Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit also assisted with the investigation and arrest. That embedded partnership is what allowed agents to act quickly once Stewart's location was pinpointed. "This arrest is another example of what can be accomplished when law enforcement agencies work together and share resources," said Sheriff Bret Ibert.

What Comes Next

Stewart is in custody in the St. Tammany Parish jail and will be extradited to Orleans Parish. Once back in New Orleans, he will face the full weight of a second-degree murder charge — a charge that, under Louisiana law, carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. For the family of Montell Robbins, who was shot and killed on a Tuesday morning in early July, the arrest brings at least some measure of accountability.

The case is also a reminder of how modern fugitive operations work. Suspects who flee across city or parish boundaries rarely stay hidden for long. The seamless cooperation between federal marshals, local police, and parish sheriff's offices has become one of the more effective tools in the fight against violent crime — and for communities still grappling with high homicide rates, that interagency muscle may be one of the most important resources law enforcement has.