Frederick Muir, Wanted in 1987 PGC Murder, Faces Deportation to Jamaica

Frederick Muir, accused in a drug-related homicide in Prince George's County nearly four decades ago, is set to be deported to Jamaica under a final order of removal issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, authorities say.

Investigators say Muir fled Maryland for New York City after the 1987 killing, having been released on bond for the murder charge. He remained on the run for more than a year before the FBI tracked him down in 1991 and brought him back to Maryland. Authorities say Muir was originally in the United States illegally from Jamaica. Court records show he had been released on bond for the murder charge before his flight to New York.

The recent arrest in Baltimore triggered an ICE detainer, and a final order of removal has since been issued. ICE describes Muir as one of several criminals in the country illegally to be removed in recent weeks. Last month, agents removed Ruben Alonso Hernandez-Lainez, who was in the country illegally from El Salvador and had been convicted of raping his roommate while investigators say he laughed about it.

The case surfaces at a particularly fraught moment in Maryland's immigration enforcement landscape. State lawmakers have banned 287(g) agreements, which previously allowed local law enforcement to partner with ICE, and are now weighing the Community Trust Act, legislation that would essentially prohibit any communication with ICE by local jails. An unnamed county sheriff warned of the consequences: "We will be flying blind because we'll have no idea who these people are, where they're from and what their threats are."

Tammy Nobles, whose daughter was killed by an illegal immigrant and known MS-13 gang member, has been outspoken against proposals that would limit how law enforcement identifies people accused of serious crimes. "You're sitting here and protecting these criminals," Nobles said. "You should care about the community as a whole and protect the whole community from these monsters. We need to know, you know, who's a criminal and who's not."

No conviction for the 1987 Prince George's County murder charge has been confirmed in available records, and the specific date of the Baltimore arrest or the scheduled deportation flight have not been disclosed by authorities. What is confirmed is that Muir's nearly 40-year entanglement with the county's justice system is now moving toward a final chapter outside the United States.