ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - A Virginia man accused by authorities of driving to upstate New York to kill the superintendent of a small school district was captured Friday following a nationwide search, authorities said.
Deputies with a U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force captured Anthony Robert Taglianetti II in the Shenandoah County area of Virginia, the agency announced. He was being held by the Marshals Service pending an interview with New York authorities.
According to the agency, the deputies' investigation led them to the area, where they spotted Taglianetti's car and pulled him over. Authorities had issued a description of his vehicle earlier in the day, saying they believed it was loaded with camping and survival equipment.
A day earlier, the Chautauqua County Sheriff's Office had said it was searching for Taglianetti in connection with the shooting death of Keith Reed Jr. on Sept. 21. Police in Clymer, N.Y., said they believed the 42-year-old Woodbridge, Va., resident had made the more-than-six-hour drive to shoot the Clymer superintendent, then returned to Virginia.
A man answering a Virginia phone number listed under Taglianetti's name declined to speak to a reporter on Friday.
Reed's funeral was held Friday at the United Congregational Methodist Church in Salamanca, and his three daughters gave the eulogy, WGRZ-TV reported.
The slaying was unconnected to Reed's job as school superintendent, officials said. They believe they know the motive, but they would not divulge it. Police have ruled out murder for hire or a drug-related killing, Chautauqua County Sheriff Joseph Gerace has said.