Philadelphia man wanted for murder of pregnant girlfriend caught in Atlanta

ATLANTA - A Philadelphia man accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend is in custody after he was caught in Atlanta.

Authorities say 26-year-old Justin Smith was on the run for nearly four years before his arrest last weekend.

The backstory:

In March 2021, 21-year-old Dianna Brice was reported missing. Her body was discovered nearly a week later inside a home in Southwest Philadelphia.

Investigators say Brice has been shot in the head multiple times. She was 3 months pregnant at the time of her death.

According to FOX 29, Brice was last seen getting into Smith's Ford Fusion, which police found on fire in the city later on.

Days after Brice's body was found, officials charged Smith with murder and other offenses and issued a warrant for his arrest.

The FBI later offered a reward of up to $25,000 for information that led to the arrest of the convicted felon.

What we know:

Authorities said they believed that Smith had been seen in Atlanta in the years after Brice's murder.

That information turned out to be correct. On March 9, Atlanta police stopped a vehicle due to its expired car tag.

The traffic stop led to a pursuit that ended when police chased Smith down on foot and placed him under arrest, officials say.

What's next:

Smith is currently in custody in Atlanta and will be extradited to Philadelphia.