Man Captured In 2012 Christmas Day Killing In Norristown: DA

NORRISTOWN, PA — Years have passed, but authorities say justice will be served in a fatal 2012 shooting that left a 24-year-old dead.

Rasheed Farrelle, 36, of Norristown, was arrested Thursday and charged with first degree murder for the killing of Paul Brown. Farrelle attempted to flee from authorities and tried to run over an officer before he was taken into custody, the District Attorney's Office said. The arrest comes a little less than a month after the investigation led to a warrant being issued.

The incident occurred on Dec. 25, 2012 at 4:40 p.m. on the 100 block of Wayne Avenue in Norristown.

Brown and Farrelle had known each other while serving time in Montgomery County Correctional Facility, officials said. According to the criminal complaint, detectives had believed for years that Brown was targeted because he was a suspect in a different murder case: the 2012 killing of Farrelle's friend, Ryan "LR" Ladson.

Cell phone records showed that Brown and Farrelle exchanged 13 texts and nine phone calls that Christmas Day, with the final call taking place at 4:35 p.m., just minutes before the shooting, police said.

Brown was found suffering from several gunshot wounds in the driver's seat of his vehicle, a 1997 Buick Riviera. He was taken to Mercy Suburban General Hospital where he was pronounced dead at around 5:50 p.m.

The investigation continued for years, but a warrant for Farrelle's arrest was not issued until March 18, 2021, when a witness came forward and told police she'd heard Farelle discuss the killing, police said.

Authorities tracked Farrelle down on Thursday, to a residence near New Hope Street in Norristown.

When police approached him in his car, he put the car in reverse, slamming into the vehicle behind him, and then accelerated toward a detective, according to the DA's Office.

He tried to escape by driving onto a sidewalk and into a yard nearby, before he was taken into custody, police said.

No bail is available for first degree murder and Farrelle was booked at Montgomery County Correctional Facility. He was also charged with aggravated assault and related counts for driving at the detective.

A preliminary hearing is set for April 21.