An Arizona murder suspect, who was apprehended last week living in southern Whitley County, waived extradition back to Arizona during a court appearance Monday morning in Whitley District Court.
Horace Gyles III, 38, appeared in Whitley District Court Monday morning for arraignment on a charge of being a fugitive from another state, and agreed to waive extradition rather than force officials to conduct an identity hearing.
The sole purpose of an identity hearing in a fugitive case is to determine whether the person, who is appearing in court, is the same individual, who is wanted by authorities in another state.
With assistance from several local agencies, the U.S. Marshals Service Central Kentucky Fugitive Task Force apprehended Gyles in southern Whitley County last Tuesday afternoon.
Gyles was apprehended without incident about 3 p.m. on Dec. 30 at a location on Litteral Road in southern Whitley County. The arrest occurred in the Saxton area about 10 miles south of Williamsburg, according to an arrest citation.
He is alleged to have been evading law enforcement by using various aliases to conceal his identity, according to a U.S. Marshal Service release.
The U.S. Marshal Service obtained a search warrant for the residence on Litteral Road and after Gyles was taken into custody, the agencies involved executed a search warrant there.
During the search of the residence, police also located one black pot containing marijuana inside the residence along with rolling papers, a grinder, seeds, and digital scales.
Williamsburg Assistant Police Chief Brandon White arrested Gyles serving him with a warrant for being a fugitive from another state. He also charged Gyles in a separate case with cultivating marijuana less than five plants and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Gyles pleaded guilty during his arraignment Monday to the cultivating marijuana charge. Judge Fred White sentenced him to a 90-day jail sentence but agreed to probate that sentence for two years. He also ordered Gyles to pay a $50 fine and court costs. The drug paraphernalia charged was merged into the marijuana charge.
Arizona murder case
According to a Dec. 30, 2022, Glendale Police Department Facebook post, on Aug. 7, 2021, just before 10 a.m., a suspect, Horace “V” Gyles, arrived at a residence near 6500 W. Glendale Avenue where he contacted the victim over owed money. During the interaction, Gyles allegedly shot the victim multiple times killing him.
Glendale homicide detectives identified Gyles as the suspect in this case and a warrant for first-degree murder was issued for his arrest.
According to multiple Arizona news outlets, in early September 2025, the U.S. Marshals Service offered a $3,000 reward for information that leads to his arrest.
Legal paperwork from Maricopa County, Arizona, indicates that Gyles is facing charges of first-degree murder and misconduct involving weapons there and his bond in that case is set at $500,000 cash.
Glendale Police Department detectives traveled into Williamsburg on Dec. 30 to further their investigation, according to the U.S Marshal Service release.
Arrested locally
Officers from the following local agencies took part in the Dec. 30 apprehension along with the U.S. Marshal Service Central Kentucky Fugitive Task Force-London office, including the Williamsburg Police Department, Kentucky State Police Post 11, Whitley County Sherriff’s Department, Kentucky Department of Corrections Probation and Parole, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Kentucky Army National Guard Counter Drugs air and ground units.
Also assisting in the case were Whitley County Emergency Medical Services, Kentucky AirEvac, and Whitley County 911.
“This case demonstrates the effectiveness of collaboration and force multiplication,” said Jeremy Honaker, acting U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “It also sends a clear message to those who come to the Commonwealth of Kentucky to elude justice that we will not tolerate violent criminals living in our beautiful Bluegrass State. I want to thank all of our partners from around the state who assisted us in bringing this violent offender to justice.”
