One of Tennessee's 'Most Wanted' captured in Jacksonville

Kameron Leslie accused of strangling woman in her Chattanooga home

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man wanted on a charge of first-degree murder by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation was taken into custody Wednesday night at a Jacksonville gas station, according to U.S. marshals.

U.S. marshals told News4Jax that they captured Kameron Maurice Leslie about 9:30 p.m. at a gas station on the city's Westside after receiving a tip. The arrest took place along 103rd Street, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said.

Jail records show Leslie was booked into the Duval County jail at 11:09 p.m. He has waived his first appearance before a Duval County judge. He is being held on a fugitive warrant for extradition and is expected to be returned to Tennessee to face the murder charge.

Leslie, 30 is accused of strangling 30-year-old Taja Whiteside in her Chattanooga home in January. The two had a relationship but were not married.

Whiteside's three children -- ages 5, 7 and 13 -- were in the home when she was killed but didn't witness her killing, Chattanooga police said.

"The oldest one who found her (body) is not handling it well," Whiteside's mother, Sharon Claridy, said. "The door was locked. ... He locked the door so the kids couldn't get in there."

According to an autopsy report, Whiteside's cause of death was strangulation and blunt force trauma to the head.

"It made me feel weary that someone would come up there late at night and kill a woman then leave," said neighbor Leslie Farmer. 

Leslie was sought by both the Chattanooga Police Department and the TBI and was added to the TBI's "Most Wanted" list in February.


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Tarik anchors the 4, 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. weekday newscasts and reports with the I-TEAM.

Award-winning broadcast and multimedia journalist with 20 years experience.