A fugitive from the United States, who had evaded manslaughter charges for over two decades in Toronto, has been extradited to Florida. Patrick Lutts Jr. was transported to Orlando by U.S. Marshals and taken into custody by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office upon arrival. Lutts, aged 52, had been residing openly in Toronto since missing a court appearance in Orlando in 2003.
Despite an arrest warrant issued against him, Lutts maintained a public presence in Toronto, organizing trivia nights at a local bar and offering advice as a self-proclaimed psychic. His apprehension in February 2025 by Toronto police’s fugitive squad followed an anonymous tip received by a Florida Crime Stoppers service in November 2023, potentially originating from an internet investigator in the U.S. who utilized facial recognition and social media clues to trace Lutts to Toronto.
Lutts faces two charges of DUI manslaughter stemming from a tragic incident on Christmas morning in Orlando in 1998 when his truck collided with a vehicle carrying 19-year-old Nancy Lopez and her 18-year-old boyfriend, Darvin Javier DeJesus-Taboada, resulting in their immediate deaths. The victims’ family expressed relief at Lutts’s capture, emphasizing their determination to see justice served after more than two decades.
Following his arrest, Lutts admitted in a sworn statement that fleeing to Canada and avoiding the Florida charges had been an error in judgment. He acknowledged his prolonged stay in Toronto and expressed his weariness of evading authorities. Lutts is currently detained in Orange County jail, awaiting a hearing scheduled for March 5, facing potential conviction of felony second-degree manslaughter charges that could lead to a 30-year prison sentence.
