The Northwestern University professor and Oxford employee wanted for the "gruesome" stabbing death of a Chicago man late last month were arrested in California Friday, authorities said.
Wyndham Lathem, 42, and Andrew Warren, 56, were both in police custody in Oakland, California, Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said, citing the U.S. Marshals Service.
"They will now go to an Oakland Court and be returned to Chicago where they will be interrogated by CPD homicide detectives," Guglielmi said in an email.
"Both individuals will be held accountable for their actions and we hope today's arrest brings some comfort for the victim's family," he added. "We are also thankful that this did not end in further tragedy."
Ed Ferrell, a spokesman for the U.S. Marshals office, said Warren was arrested in San Francisco, while Lathem surrendered at the federal courthouse in Oakland after communicating with authorities. The men remained in Marshal custody in Oakland, he said.
Both were wanted in connection with the killing of 26-year-old Trenton H. James Cornell-Duranleau, who was found dead on July 27 inside an apartment building in Chicago's River North neighborhood.
Officials said Cornell-Duranleau was discovered stabbed to death around 8:30 p.m. on the tenth floor of the Grand Plaza Apartments on State Street, where police said Lathem lives.
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Lathem is an associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Northwestern University's medical school, where he has worked for 10 years. He was placed on administrative leave and banned from entering Northwestern campuses, university spokesman Alan Cubbage said Wednesday after warrants were issued for his and Warren's arrest.
Warren is a senior treasury assistant at the University of Oxford in Great Britain, according to the university’s website.
Both men disappeared after Cornell-Duranleau, a hairstylist and Michigan native, was found dead, authorities said. Guglielmi said the crime scene was "gruesome and the victim was savagely murdered."
The Chicago Tribune reported that blood was found on a bedroom door in the apartment where Cornell-Duranleau was found dead from stab wounds. The report, citing law enforcement sources, also said a knife with a broken blade was found in the trash in the kitchen, and another knife was located near the sink.
The pair of suspects was spotted on surveillance video leaving the property after the incident, authorities said. Police said the men later drove to Lake Geneva and donated $1,000 to the Lake Geneva Public Library in the victim's name.
Lathem also sent a video message to family members and friends after the killing, according to police, allegedly apologizing for his involvement in the crime.
Police did not release the video footage, saying it was "integral to any future interrogation efforts," adding that the people who received the video had been interviewed by U.S. Marshals.
Lathem was booked in the Alameda County Jail in Oakland, California, and Warren was booked into the San Francisco County Jail, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
They are awaiting extradition to Illinois, but will each have an initial appearance in the California county courts, likely to occur on Monday, according to Deputy U.S. Marshal Frank Conroy.
