Jamaican fugitive wanted for murder in Saint Lucia sentenced on US firearms charge

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, Orville Andrew Pernell, 33, also known as Oneil Christopher Reid, was sentenced Tuesday to 33 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Tiffany R. Johnson.

Federal prosecutors said Pernell, who is from Saint Mary, Jamaica, will face removal and extradition proceedings after completing his prison sentence.

Authorities said Pernell was originally charged with murder in Saint Lucia on Oct. 8, 2020. While awaiting trial there, he escaped custody before later being arrested in Jamaica in July 2021 while awaiting extradition back to Saint Lucia. Prosecutors said he subsequently escaped Jamaican custody as well.

Nearly 18 months later, U.S. immigration authorities encountered Pernell attempting to enter the United States illegally near the San Ysidro border crossing in California. Officials said he identified himself using the alias “Oneil Christopher Reid” and was later released pending immigration proceedings.

According to prosecutors, Pernell resurfaced in July 2023 when deputies in Clayton County, Georgia, stopped him for allegedly driving a motorcycle at 115 mph. During the stop, deputies reportedly found a stolen firearm in his jacket pocket.

Although he was arrested on multiple charges, including speeding, fleeing police, driving without a license and receiving stolen property, authorities said he later posted bail and was released.

Federal investigators later determined that Pernell was living in the United States under the false identity. He was arrested again on April 4, 2025, during an operation involving Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations.

During a search of his home in Hinesville, Georgia, agents reportedly recovered another stolen handgun and an assault-style rifle equipped with a loaded high-capacity magazine.

Pernell pleaded guilty on Feb. 11, 2026, to possession of a firearm by an illegal alien.

U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said Pernell repeatedly endangered communities after fleeing prosecution in the Caribbean.

“After he was charged with murder, Pernell escaped custody twice in the Caribbean, entered the United States under a different identity, and then repeatedly endangered our community through his possession of stolen and high-powered firearms,” Hertzberg said in a statement.

Officials also alleged that while in federal custody, Pernell damaged walls inside his detention cell in what prosecutors described as apparent escape attempts.

The case was investigated by ATF and Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Clayton County Sheriff's Office.