A fugitive sought in a nationwide manhunt for the murder of a Douglas County man was captured Tuesday night in Vincennes, Ind., by a campus police officer who noticed the suspect's "piercing" eyes.
Christopher Allan Fiegehen, 23, of Carson City, was in custody in the Knox County, Ind., Jail after police there found him walking along train tracks on the grounds of Vincennes University.
Fiegehen is wanted in the Feb. 10 stabbing death of Al Chorkey and attempted murder of his wife, Lorelle Chorkey, in the couple's Johnson Lane-area home. They are the parents of Fiegehen's ex-girlfriend.
James Jones, assistant chief of the university's Campus Police, said he and two other officers, Lt. Steve Ingall and Jeff Anderson, were patrolling train tracks known to be a party site around 10:30 p.m. when they spotted a group of young adults.
Fiegehen wasn't walking with the others, but happened upon them after police had arrived.
"We stopped the group and asked for their ID and he sort of walked into it," Jones said.
Fiegehen handed officers his Nevada driver's license. When they checked his name on a national crime computer, it listed the Douglas County warrant for murder.
Jones said Fiegehen probably handed over his driver's license willingly because he wasn't concerned campus police would arrest him.
"He probably thought, 'These guys are university police. As long as I am cool nothing will happen,'" he said.
But Jones said Fiegehen's demeanor was less than cool.
"He seemed a little nervous, which made him stand out," he said. "Even at night you could still see he had piercing eyes."
Officers told Fiegehen more than once to get on the ground, Jones said. He was taken into custody without incident.
"He didn't answer any questions. As a matter of fact, he didn't say anything," Jones said.
When arrested, Fiegehen had less than $100, no credit cards and no bags. Jones refused to say whether Fiegehen had any knives on him, but did say he was not carrying a gun.
Jones said Fiegehen was clean cut, but appeared to have been traveling for a while.
"We figured he just got off of a train here, but I really truthfully don't know," he said. "We are glad for your community that he has been caught."
Douglas County investigators left Reno on Wednesday at noon to interview Fiegehen in the Knox County Jail.
Sheriff Ron Pierini said his department is pleased with the arrest.
"We're excited about it. It was very important that we apprehended him -- for his safety and also for the community," Pierini said. "We are obviously prepared for trial."
Pierini said the next step for authorities is to have Fiegehen extradited to Douglas County. "Eventually he'll be here to face trial."
Since the murder, a nationwide manhunt and two profiles of the case on the nationally televised program "America's Most Wanted" had generated few clues.
On March 12, the FBI confirmed Fiegehen had worked in a Mobile, Ala., restaurant for about 10 days under a fake name before disappearing on March 8.
Lorelle Chorkey is recovering in an undisclosed Reno hospital. Authorities have been tight-lipped on Chorkey's condition and location for fear Fiegehen might try to further harm her because she identified him as her attacker.
Pierini said she is doing well and is expected to be released soon.
