A Reading man wanted in 2021 drug-related killing was arrested Thursday in West Palm Beach, Fla., by members of the U.S. Marshals Florida Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Eastern Pennsylvania Fugitive Task Force, the U.S. Marshals Service announced.
Kadrise Patience, 30, formerly of the 800 block of North Fifth Street, was wanted for failure to appear on murder charges. He had been declared a fugitive after he fled prior to a Nov. 13 status hearing before Berks County Judge Patrick Barrett.
Patience is charged with first- and third-degree murder and related counts in the fatal shooting of Orlando Rodriguez, 32, of Kenhorst in Reading on June 17, 2021. Rodriguez was shot multiple times and later died of his injuries at Reading Hospital after being rushed there in a private vehicle by a relative, investigators said.
Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams on Friday thanked the marshals for their assisting in apprehending Patience.
“We are very pleased that Patience is back in custody,” Adams said. “We are hopeful that he will be returned to Berks County within the next two weeks. We look forward to renewing our prosecution of him after he is returned to our custody.”
According to marshals, investigators learned Patience was hiding with a family member in Florida.
Members of the Marshals Florida Caribbean Regional Task Force saw him at an apartment complex about 2 p.m. When approached by investigators, Patience provided a false identification. He was then positively identified, arrested without incident and transported to the Palm Beach County jail for processing.
When Patience was declared a fugitive, Adams said Barrett granted a defense request to dismiss the charges following a pretrial hearing on April 25, 2024, ruling prosecutors lacked sufficient evidence to support the charges.
Patience was released, but a year later, the state Superior Court reversed Barrett’s decision based on an appeal by Adams’ office. The charges were reinstated in early November.
While the appeal was pending, Patience was required to report to court periodically to check on the status of the appeal, Adams said, noting that Patience had been complying with those check-ins.
“He was scheduled for court Nov. 25,” Adams said in December. “He appeared in the courthouse, but as soon as he realized that he was going to be taken back into custody, he absconded prior to being taken back into custody.”
While Patience’s case was pending, Magnum Morrison, 28, of the 1000 block of Windsor Street was found guilty in March 2025 of conspiracy to commit third-degree murder, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury and conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Morrison was found not guilty of first- and third-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was sentenced to 15 to 30 years in state prison.
According to investigators:
Morrison, Patience and two other men entered a home in the 600 block of North 10th Street shortly before 12:30 a.m. on June 17, 2021, and Rodriguez was shot.
The ensuing investigation showed that the home was part of a drug ring, with officers finding about 30 pounds of marijuana and a large amount of cash inside.