Murder Suspect Caught Across Parish Lines in Slidell After New Orleans Shooting

A Deadly Morning in New Orleans

Just before 6 a.m. on July 8, New Orleans Police Department officers responded to a reported shooting in the 4700 block of Laine Avenue, where they found 42-year-old Montrell Robbins suffering from a gunshot wound. He was rushed to a hospital for treatment, but did not survive. The incident was reclassified as a homicide , setting off an investigation that would ultimately reach across parish lines.

Later on the day of the shooting, police were seen going in and out of a home near the intersection of Laine and Leeds. Through the investigation, Dennis Stewart was identified as a suspect. What followed was a coordinated, multi-agency manhunt that demonstrated how modern law enforcement refuses to let geography become a shield for violent offenders.

The Arrest: Crossing Parish Lines

A man wanted in connection with the New Orleans murder was taken into custody on the morning of July 23 in the Slidell area. Members of the U.S. Marshals E/LA New Orleans Fugitive Task Force arrested Dennis Stewart, 21, who was wanted by the New Orleans Police Department for second-degree murder. Stewart was located at a residence in the Huntwyck neighborhood.

He was 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. Stewart was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail and is awaiting extradition to Orleans Parish. The swift, coordinated takedown — completed in roughly two weeks from the date of the shooting — underscores how seriously these agencies treat violent fugitive cases.

The Power of Multi-Agency Cooperation

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 permanently assigned to the task force. Detectives with the Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit also assisted with the investigation and arrest. This kind of structural partnership — where agencies share personnel and intelligence on an ongoing basis — is precisely what made a rapid arrest possible.

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. Sheriff Bret Ibert credited the collaboration directly: "This arrest is another example of what can be accomplished when law enforcement agencies work together and share resources. Violent offenders cannot expect to avoid accountability simply by crossing parish lines. Our partnerships with the U.S. Marshals Service helps ensure those wanted for serious crimes are found and taken into custody as quickly and safely as possible."

What This Case Signals

The Robbins homicide and the subsequent arrest of Stewart highlight a persistent challenge in Louisiana law enforcement — suspects who commit crimes in one jurisdiction and attempt to disappear into another. The New Orleans metro area, spread across multiple parishes with distinct law enforcement agencies, has historically made this kind of flight a viable strategy for some offenders. Cases like this one demonstrate that the strategy is becoming far less reliable.

The investigation remains under the jurisdiction of the New Orleans Police Department. As the case moves toward extradition and prosecution, the cooperation between NOPD, the U.S. Marshals, and St. Tammany Parish officials will likely remain central to building the case. For communities on both sides of the parish line, the message from authorities is clear: a jurisdictional boundary is not a finish line for justice.