The Los Angeles County District Attorney charged the alleged serial killer accused of murdering four people, including three homeless men as they slept, with four counts of first-degree murder.
Jerrid Joseph Powell, 33, killed four people in a four-day period between Nov. 26 and Nov. 29, authorities say. Powell is also charged with residential robbery and felon with a firearm.
“I want to extend my deepest appreciation to the incredible men and women of law enforcement who worked tirelessly to bring justice to our community and arrest this individual,” LA District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement. “The swift actions of law enforcement undoubtedly saved lives this week.”
Powell appeared in court Monday but did not enter a plea. His next court date is scheduled for Jan. 8. The Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office is representing Powell.
“As with each client, our office will pursue a vigorous defense on behalf of Mr. Powell and hold the prosecution to its burden of proof. According to the tenets of our criminal legal system, Mr. Powell remains presumed innocent until proven otherwise,” the public defender’s office said in a statement released to The Associated Press.
Authorities have yet to release a motive for the slayings. As Law&Crime previously reported, the first murder happened Nov. 26 around 3 a.m. in the southeast area of the city. The suspect walked up and killed 37-year-old Jose Bolanos, said Los Angeles Police Chief Michael Moore at a Friday press conference. On Nov. 27, Powell allegedly killed again, this time murdering 62-year-old Mark Diggs in central LA around 4:45 a.m. Then, Powell is accused of killing a 52-year-old man in the Lincoln Heights area on Nov. 29. He has yet to be identified.
“Each of the victims were in an open area whether it be a sidewalk or an alley,” Moore said. “They were alone.”
Accused serial killer Jerrid Powell allegedly killed four people in four days in Los Angeles, according to authorities. Three of the victims were homeless men throughout LA shown here in this map. The fourth victim was killed after Powell allegedly followed him home and shot him to death during a robbery in Los Angeles County. (Los Angeles Police Department)
Detectives noted that surveillance video captured the same car and a man with the same physical characteristics appeared at all three scenes.
The realization that a serial killer was on the loose and targeting a vulnerable population set of a mobilized effort with more than 400 city officials and social service organizations to alert homeless people of the possible danger. Shelters were opened. Police put together a task force of investigators to hunt down the suspect.
But it turned out the suspect had already been arrested for a separate, unrelated murder. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office was investigating a homicide that occurred on Nov. 28 where Powell allegedly followed Nicholas Simbolon for more than 10 miles from an electric car charging station to his home in San Dimas where he robbed and shot Simbolon to death as he got out of his car, according to LA County Sheriff Robert Luna. The father of two was located by a family member who called 911. Paramedics pronounced Simbolon dead at the scene.
LA County Sheriff’s detectives through surveillance video were able to identify a suspect vehicle which belonged to Powell, authorities said. They put out an alert to other law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for the car, and on Wednesday night, officers with the Beverly Hills Police Department spotted Powell’s vehicle and arrested him after a traffic stop. police said. Cops also recovered a gun that was believed to be a murder weapon, Luna said.
By Friday night, LAPD detectives realized Powell was driving the same car as the one they were looking for in the murders in the homeless men. A ballistics test of the gun in Powell’s vehicle confirmed it was used in all four murders, Moore said. Detectives are still investigating a motive. Officials from LAPD and the sheriff’s office announced the arrest at a press conference Saturday.
“I am grateful that this suspect in this case is in custody and will be held accountable for his actions,” Moore said.
Authorities are investigating whether Powell, a convicted felon, may have been involved in other killings. He’s at the Los Angeles County Jail without bond.
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