Gov. Gavin Newsom makes a point at the opening of the San Quentin Learning Center on Friday, Feb. 20. Newsom in April announced $50,000 awards for information leading to arrests in convictions in several California cold cases, including a Sacramento homicide from 2015.
JOSÉ LUIS VILLEGAS
jvillegas@sacbee.com
Gov. Gavin Newsom last month announced $50,000 rewards to encourage people to provide information that leads to an arrest and a conviction in several California cold cases that remain unsolved, including a 2015 Sacramento homicide.
“Every family deserves answers and justice,” Newsom said in a news release. “These rewards send a message that every case matters, every victim matters, and that we are all working toward increased accountability. If you know something, it is your duty to come forward.”
In December, the Governor’s Office announced a $50,000 reward payment to three people who provided information led to the arrest and 2025 conviction of Marvin Markle for the 1982 murder of 14-year-old De Anna Lynn Johnson in Vacaville.
Among the list of 27 cold cases in California, the Governor’s Office is offering a $50,000 reward in the shooting death of 20-year-old Anthony E. Barajas, 20, of Sacramento.
Barajas was struck by gunfire from another vehicle while he was in his gold Toyota Tacoma pickup in the parking lot of a Home Depot store in the 1400 block of Meadowview Road in south Sacramento. He suffered a gunshot to the chest and was pronounced dead at a hospital. Investigators ask anyone with information about the fatal shooting to call the Sacramento Police Department at 916-808-0650.
Two Butte County homicides are listed among the cold cases with $50,000 rewards from the Governor’s Office. Marc Thompson, 25, was killed Sept. 3, 2014, in a shooting while he was parked in a remote, wooded location within the county. Tyler Dickson, 20, was shot to death while sleeping in a tent at a campsite. Investigators in both those homicide cases asked anyone with information to call Sgt. Patrick McNelis or Sgt. Tristan Harper of the Butte County Sheriff’s Office at 530-538-7671.
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Rosalio Ahumada writes breaking news stories related to crime and public safety for The Sacramento Bee. He speaks Spanish fluently and has worked as a news reporter in the Central Valley since 2004.