Man charged with follow-home slaying, 3 killings of homeless men in Southern California
A Los Angeles man was charged Monday with fatally shooting three homeless men in Los Angeles as well as shooting to death a San Dimas resident he is accused of following home and robbing.
The killings happened from Nov. 26 to Nov. 29. The homeless men were sleeping by themselves when killed.
Jerrid Joseph Powell, 33, was charged with four counts of murder, one count of residential robbery and one count of being a felon with a firearm, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The DA’s Office also charged him with the special circumstance allegations of committing multiple murders and murder in the course of a robbery and the allegation of personally using a firearm.
If convicted, Powell faces life in prison without the possibility of parole, the statement said. His arraignment was scheduled for Jan. 8.
Authorities have not revealed a motive behind the Nov. 28 slaying of Nicholas Simbolon in San Dimas and the killings in Los Angeles of Jose Bolanos, 37, on Nov. 26; Mark Diggs, 62, on Nov. 27; and Shawn Alvarez, 52, on Nov. 29.
Alvarez died from multiple gunshot wounds while Bolanos, Diggs and Simbolon died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to the medical examiner’s office.
On Nov. 28, Simbolon was heading home from work when he was followed from an electric-vehicle charging station in the 200 block of South Citrus Street in West Covina, Sheriff Robert Luna said during a Nov. 30 news conference announcing an arrest in the case.
The 42-year-old father of two arrived home in the 1800 block of Hawkbrook Drive in San Dimas and parked in the garage.
The suspect entered the garage, robbed Simbolon of several items, shot him and then left, Luna said. The victim’s wife found him and called 911.
Some relatives of Simbolon who were reached Monday declined to comment.
Detectives identified a car from surveillance video, which led to Powell being identified as a suspect, Luna said.
Beverly Hills police spotted the car near Santa Monica Boulevard and Rexford Drive on Wednesday, Nov. 29. A gun was found in the car.
Beverly Hills police turned over Powell to the Sheriff’s Department, which arrested and booked him early Thursday morning, Nov. 30, on suspicion of the San Dimas robbery and murder.
The same gun found in Powell’s car was used in the shootings of three homeless people in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said during a Saturday news conference.
The news conference was held a day after the LAPD made a plea to the public for information that would lead to the person behind the killings, which occurred in the Westmont area in South Los Angeles, downtown L.A. and East L.A. just over the L.A. River from Elysian Park.
Each victim was sleeping alone when a man approached and shot them. The shooter left in a car.
Powell has prior convictions for receiving stolen property and shoplifting in Los Angeles County, court records show. Both are misdemeanors.
San Bernardino County court records show Powell took a deal and pleaded no contest on May 1, 2018 to felony assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury and was sentenced to three years probation and county jail time, which went from 90 days in 2018 to 300 days in 2019. A charge of assault with a deadly weapon was dismissed as part of the deal.
Powell remains in custody. He’s being held without bail.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s detectives are looking for other possible victims.
Powell’s car is a four-door gray or charcoal 2024 BMW M440i with the California license plate number of 9JOE329.
Investigators asked that anyone with information call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tipsters can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or go to lacrimestoppers.org