A suspect in a West Scranton homicide case, 21-year-old Malachi Darden, has been arrested in New York after eluding authorities for more than a year and a half. Lackawanna County District Attorney Brian Gallagher announced Darden's arrest in connection with the shooting death of 36-year-old Benjamin Thompson on May 14, 2024, in West Scranton, an incident police believe occurred during an armed robbery over a drug deal. Darden, a New York native who was living in Wilkes-Barre at the time, was apprehended on December 1 in Cortland, New York, following an investigation involving the Scranton Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Cortland Police Department. Scranton police have charged Darden with criminal homicide and criminal conspiracy. Two other men previously arrested in connection with the shooting, Quamir Robinson, 23, and Rahjuan Marquel Morgan, 25, each pleaded guilty on June 3 to felony counts of criminal conspiracy engaging in robbery and criminal conspiracy engaging in aggravated assault.