Police Say Drug Dealers Target The Wrong Home For Murder

On the night of February 13, 1997, four people were relaxing inside a Kansas City home when the power went out. Moments later, a man with a Jamaican accent came to the door, asking to speak with someone. The residents said no one by that name lived at the house. Three armed men kicked in the door, sprayed the house with bullets, and fled the scene.

A male victim was found dead on arrival, a pregnant female died in the hospital and a third victim was hospitalized with gunshot wounds.

Police quickly discovered that the shooters were alleged drug dealers. They had been on the prowl hunting for a teenage boy who reportedly stole $70,000 from them earlier in the day. But they went searching for the boy at the wrong home; opening fire and killing two innocent, unsuspecting people.

Investigators say they learned the shooters were Ralston Wellington, Warren Price and a third man known only as "Ruddy."

Detectives searched a nearby safehouse used by the shooters and recovered a large amount of drugs and weapons, including one of the murder weapons and body armor apparently worn by the suspects. But Wellington, Price and "Ruddy" had disappeared.

Price Slips Past Police

In 1998, Kansas City police discovered that Warren Price was being held at Rikers Island Prison in New York on a weapons charge. He had six months remaining on his sentence. Detectives traveled to Rikers, but Price refused to talk.

The Kansas City detectives placed a "detainer" on Price for the outstanding murder charges, assuring prison officials would notify them before Price was released. After several months, Kansas City detectives called to check on Price's status. They found out he had been transferred into the custody of INS after completing his sentence. Kansas City police contacted INS. The agency had no knowledge of the detainer.

An immigration hearing had already taken place and Price had been deported back to Jamaica in February 1999. But the mixups don't end there. 

Lost And Found In New York

Every few months, Kansas City police ran detailed computer checks to see if Warren Price had surfaced in the United States. Much to their surprise, Price was back. Using aliases, Price returned to New York, where he was arrested in 2001 on misdemeanor weapons and drug charges. But he posted bail and was released before New York police got the results from fingerprinting and learned his true identity. Price narrowly escaped justice once again.

U.S. Marshals know price was staying with a girlfriend on Union Avenue in the Bronx in June of 2004. He hasn't been seen since, but police believe he is still in the New York area. Price has used several aliases, including: John O'Connor, O'Neil Robert Clarke, Claude Cauter and Omar Davis.

Ralston Wellington was arrested in London, England in 2003 and is still fighting extradition to the United States. Police investigating the double homicide have not yet been able to identify the third suspect, known only as "Ruddy" by witnesses.

Price Arrested in Los Angeles

On August 30, 2005, America's Most Wanted was getting ready to update this website with the news that Warren Price had been captured. That's when we received word that, once again, Price had alluded arrest. For years, Warren Price repeatedly slipped through the fingers of law enforcement. But days after Thanksgiving 2006, the US Marshals developed information directing investigators to Los Angeles.

In a joint effort between US Marshals Task Forces in New York and Los Angeles, as well as police in Kansas City and Los Angeles, investigators hit an apartment building where Price was thought to be hiding near LAX International Airport. Police say Price jumped off a balcony and fled, but was arrested a short time later by US Marshals and Los Angeles Police. This time, we can actually publish the capture report -- confident that Price is finally behind bars.

Price is awaiting extradition back to Kansas City, Missouri, where he is wanted on two counts of murder.