Daijiworld Media Network – San Deigo

San Deigo, Jun 11: A 74-year-old San Diego man, already facing a murder charge in a 2023 killing, has now been charged with three additional murders, including two cases that had remained unsolved for decades.

Dwight Rhone was arraigned on Wednesday on three new murder counts and pleaded not guilty. Authorities said investigators are also examining other unsolved cases that may be connected to him.

The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office said the latest charges relate to the deaths of Michael Brown, Ronald Johnken and Herierto Ruiz.

District Attorney Summer Stephan said a deputy prosecutor's persistence and attention to detail helped establish critical links between Rhone and multiple victims, including those involved in cold cases.

Rhone was previously charged in the murder of Bernardo Moreno, 54, whose body was found near a highway interchange in October 2023. Moreno had suffered a gunshot wound to the head, and his body was discovered among burned debris.

Investigators said Brown’s remains were found in December beneath a house in San Diego’s Southcrest neighbourhood where Rhone had previously lived. Further details regarding Brown’s death have not yet been released.

Johnken’s body was discovered in a nearby creek in 2002. According to the medical examiner, he died from blunt force trauma to the head.

Ruiz was found dead in an alley in the Southcrest area in 1993. Prosecutors said he died by strangulation.

Authorities are also seeking information about two other individuals connected to the area. The body of 33-year-old Danice Galloway was found in an alley less than a mile from where Ruiz was discovered, while Antenogenes Gomez Velasquez, who went missing in 2021, was last known to have lived on Newton Avenue — the same street where Rhone once resided and where Brown’s remains were found.

Officials said the investigation is ongoing as detectives continue to review whether Rhone may be linked to additional unsolved crimes.