ITHACA, N.Y. (WHCU) – A suspect in a Lansing homicide investigation has been caught and charged with murder.

Authorities in Tioga County were alerted by the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office about a tip they received from the public that 52-year-old Larry Walrad Jr. may have been spotted on Main Street in Candor on the night of Thursday, May 11, 2023. The Tioga County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police, Owego Police, and Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Unit began searching for Walrad late Thursday night in Candor.

He was located near Water Street in the Village of Candor around 1:00 p.m. Friday, May 12, 2023. Authorities say they responded to the area on foot so as not to alert Walrad, and he was taken into custody without incident.

Walrad was transported to Tompkins County by New York State Police to be arraigned in Tompkins County Court. Tompkins County District Attorney Matt Van Houten says Walrad has been charged with murder in the second degree for the intentional homicide of 71-year-old Joseph West Jr., of Ithaca, on March 5, 2023, in Lansing.

If found guilty, Walrad faces 25 years to life in prison. Walrad is being held in Tompkins County Jail to await further court proceedings.