Suspect In Union County Homicide Arrested In Georgia

UNION COUNTY, NJ — A fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal shooting of a father of five in Linden has been apprehended in Georgia, acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo and Linden Police Chief David Hart jointly announced Tuesday.

Members of the U.S. Marshals Service took Dion M. Johnson, 38, of Linden into custody in the Atlanta area on Monday. He was charged with first-degree murder and two second-degree weapons offenses in connection with the death of Darrell Q. McKoy, also 38.

An obituary for McKoy says he was a music lover and the father of two children and three step-children.

Shortly after 12:45 p.m. on Oct. 5, members of the Linden Police Department responded to the 1200 block of Essex Avenue. They found McKoy outside his home at that location, having sustained serious injury, according to the preliminary investigation.

McKoy was transported to Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 1:30 p.m.

An investigation led by the Union County Homicide Task Force and assisted by members of the Linden Police Department, Union County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Unit, and Union County Police Department Ballistics Unit resulted in Johnson being identified as a suspect in the case, prosecutors said.

He currently remains in custody in Georgia pending extradition back to New Jersey.

Anyone with information about this matter is still being urged to contact Prosecutor’s Office Detective Sonia Rodriguez at 908-341-3380 or Sgt. Johnny Ho at 908-403-8271.

“Working in tandem with our investigative partners in Linden and with the county, our Homicide Task Force has been hard at work on this case since its inception, following every lead in pursuit of this defendant,” Prosecutor Ruotolo said. “I would like to commend the Union County law enforcement team, as well as our federal partners at the U.S. Marshals Service, for their efforts in ensuring that he is brought to justice.”

Convictions on criminal charges of this nature are commonly punishable by terms of up to life in state prison.

These criminal charges are mere accusations. Every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

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