A Bloomington man who fled during his murder trial in March before his guilty verdict was read was captured in Detroit on Thursday, according to the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.
Michael James Harlan is being held in Wayne County, Michigan, awaiting extradition to Minnesota. He has been charged with two additional felonies, being a fugitive from justice and unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon.
Harlan, 29, was convicted of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter for selling fentanyl pills to Cole Linnell, who overdosed and died in March 2021. The pills were made to look like the less-powerful opioid pain medication oxycodone, according to court records.
Court filings say Harlan, who was out on bail, "fled during trial and failed to appear when the verdict was announced."
Bounty hunters and the FBI had searched for Harlan in Arizona and Michigan for months, court records show.
Linnell's mother wrote on Facebook this spring that the guilty verdicts "will never bring my son back, but we did get justice."
Staff writer Kyeland Jackson contributed to this report.
