APPREHENDED
Sheriff himself takes murder suspect into custodyBy TIM LATSHAW
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SILVER CREEK - The 19-year-old suspect in an alleged murder that rattled the town of Villenova Tuesday morning was apprehended one day later by the sheriff himself.
Chautauqua County Sheriff Joseph Gerace and District Attorney David Foley announced Wednesday in the Hanover Town Hall Courtroom that Daniel J. Hyers was taken in to custody shortly after 10 a.m. According to Gerace, Hyers was arrested without incident and was cooperative, submitting a statement in which he confessed to the shooting of stepfather Dean Nagel, 51, inside their residence at 9201 Dye Road.
Nagel received "multiple" gunshot wounds to the head and the believed murder weapon, described only as a rifle, was recovered in a wooded area.
Foley said Hyers will face a charge of second-degree murder. He was arraigned in Villenova Town Court following the conference and transported to Chautauqua County Jail.
Hyers was first reported walking along Butcher Road in Villenova and found by Gerace shortly thereafter on Villenova Road. Approaching in an unmarked vehicle, Gerace said he began a conversation with Hyers and apprehended him without a struggle. Hyers did not possess a weapon.
"I think he was tired and frustrated and ready to turn himself in," Gerace said.
Foley lauded Gerace for his quick response to a tip, saying that he believes it is highly unusual for a county sheriff to seek and apprehend a suspect on his/her own. Gerace, however, said he was already on Dye Road - returning to the crime scene - when he received the call and was simply in the right place at the right time.
"I just did what any cop would do," he said.
Information received by law enforcement at first led to the belief that Hyers may have fled in a Kia Spectra with his girlfriend and was possibly traveling North toward Cheektowaga, where his biological father reportedly resides. But tips received later gave the implication that Hyers had not left the county at that at least the Kia is no longer a factor in the incident.
"We are still continuing our investigation, but the information we initially received yesterday was not as accurate as we thought it might be, so at this time there is no search for any vehicle," Gerace said.
Tips also led to a manhunt centering around Arkwright Campground Tuesday evening that yielded no results. Gerace said that information had turned out to be dated.
Any specific motive to the killing was not revealed.
"I don't think that we can really speak about that at this time," Foley said. "I mean, obviously, it was a situation which I think we would generally characterize as a domestic sort of situation."
Information was also not given as to whether Hyers has a previous criminal record.
Hyers did not speak or answer questions as he was led from the Hanover Town Hall to a waiting sheriff's vehicle for transportation to Villenova Town Court.
Gerace commended the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office staff, investigators, county forensics team, State Police and Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Office for all taking part in the investigation.
