West Virginia murder suspect, girlfriend found hiding in a cabin after week-long manhunt

A week-long manhunt for a murder suspect in West Virginia ended when the man and his girlfriend were found in a cabin, according to police.

Victor Lee Thompson and Kierston Holbrooks-Mick were captured this week. Police issued an arrest warrant for Thompson, 43, of Parkersburg, for allegedly shooting and killing Darren Jimmie Salaam, 36, of Akron, Ohio, on May 30. Thompson is also suspected of assaulting a woman in the home where Salaam was shot.

According to Parkersburg Police, Thompson reportedly arrived at 4420 17th Ave. as a passenger in a dark-colored Dodge truck, entered the home, allegedly assaulted a female and shot Salaam before fleeing the scene.

Salaam died at the hospital.

The suspect went on the run for about a week before authorities found them allegedly trespassing in a cabin.

Friends of the cabin's homeowner, who was out of town, encountered two people on June 5 in the residence along W.V. Route 47 just and told them to leave, according to police. The Ritchie County Sheriff's Department and the West Virginia State Police responded to the scene and saw evidence that people had been in the cabin, but they were not there at the time.

The next day, Ritchie County Sheriff's Department, Wirt County Sheriff's Department, West Virginia State Police and Parkersburg police detectives returned to the area to search for Thompson and Holbrooks-Mick.

Officers located Thompson and Holbrooks-Mick hiding in a trailer in the area of McFarland Lane in Ritchie County. The two were taken into custody without incident and transported back to Parkersburg. 

Thompson was charged with murder and Holbrooks-Mick was charged as a fugitive from justice in Ohio. Holbrooks-Mick is accused of a burglary at her parents’ home in Marietta on March 17.

Both subjects were taken to jail pending their arraignments.