A 74-year-old man already in custody on suspicion of committing a 2023 South Bay murder has been charged with three additional killings, at least two of which date back decades.
Dwight William Rhone pleaded not guilty Wednesday to the newly filed murder charges, which include San Diego County killings that allegedly occurred in 1993 and 2002.
The third new murder charge stems from human remains discovered last December in Southcrest. The date the man perished is unknown.
And investigators aren’t finished. The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office said they are looking into whether Rhone has more connections with missing people or “unidentified or deceased persons potentially associated with the defendant.”
The new charges include a special circumstances allegation of committing multiple murders, which means if convicted, Rhone faces either life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty, should prosecutors pursue capital punishment.
Rhone was initially arrested and charged with murder for allegedly shooting Bernardo Moreno, 54, in the head on Interstate 5, near state Route 905, then setting the body on fire on Oct. 13, 2023.
While that case was pending, Rhone was named a person of interest in December after the California Highway Patrol and the FBI served a search warrant in San Diego and found human remains on a property where Rhone once was a tenant.
The District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday that the person found dead at the site, 3443 Newton Ave., has been identified as Michael Brown. Brown’s age and suspected cause of death have not been disclosed.
Prosecutors are also trying to determine if Rhone had anything to do with the disappearance of a nearby resident who was last seen in 2021.
Antenogenes Gomez Velasquez’s last known address was 3456 Newton Ave. He was set to turn 40 in 2021.
Rhone is also charged with the deaths of:
Herierto Ruiz, found strangled in December 1993 in an alley near the 3500 block of Acacia Street in Southcrest. Ronald Johnken, who was found dead near 3300 National Avenue in Logan Heights in September 2002. He died from blunt force trauma to the head.Rhone remains in custody without bail, but it will be a long wait before he will next appear in court. The hearing is set for March 2027.
The case could stretch back even further than Ruiz’s death. Prosecutors also are looking into Rhone’s possible link to the death of a woman whose body was discovered 37 years ago. Danice Galloway, 33, was found dead in the north alley at 3700 Main Street on May 1, 1989.
Anyone with information on Rhone’s case is asked to contact the San Diego police Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
“The District Attorney’s Office will never stop seeking the truth no matter how many years have passed,” San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement. “Victims deserve justice and their families deserve answers.”
City News Service contributed to this report.
Hence then, the article about serial killer in san diego murder suspect pleads not guilty to 3 additional killings was published today ( ) and is available on Times of San Diego ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Serial killer in San Diego? Murder suspect pleads not guilty to 3 additional killings )
Also on site :