Authorities announced that Dwight Rhone was arraigned Wednesday on three new murder charges connected to the deaths of Michael Brown, Ronald Johnken, and Herierto Ruiz. Rhone pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The new allegations significantly expand an investigation that initially focused on the 2023 killing of Bernardo Moreno, whose body was discovered near a highway interchange with a gunshot wound to the head. Prosecutors said Moreno’s remains were found among burned debris in October 2023.
According to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, investigators uncovered new evidence linking Rhone to multiple victims, including cases that had remained unsolved for decades.
Michael Brown’s remains were discovered in December beneath a home in San Diego’s Southcrest neighborhood where Rhone previously lived. Authorities have not yet disclosed when Brown died or the exact cause of death.
One of the cold cases involves Ronald Johnken, whose body was found in a nearby creek in 2002. Medical examiners determined that Johnken died from blunt force trauma to the head.
The second cold case concerns Herierto Ruiz, whose body was discovered in a Southcrest alley in 1993. Prosecutors said Ruiz died by strangulation.
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan credited investigators and prosecutors for uncovering links between the suspect and multiple victims. She praised the persistence of the team that helped revive the decades-old cases and bring new charges.
Authorities are also reviewing other cases that may be connected to Rhone.
Investigators have specifically requested information regarding two additional individuals whose cases remain unresolved. One is Danice Galloway, 33, whose body was found in an alley less than a mile from where Ruiz was discovered. The second is Antenogenes Gomez Velasquez, who disappeared in 2021 and was last known to live on Newton Avenue, the same street where Rhone once resided and where Brown’s remains were later found.
Law enforcement officials have not announced whether further charges are expected, but they indicated that the investigation remains active as detectives continue examining potential links to other unsolved crimes in the area.
The case has drawn renewed attention to several long-unsolved homicides in San Diego and highlights how advances in investigative techniques and persistent case reviews can lead to new developments years after crimes were originally committed.
