Jerrid Joseph Powell updates — Serial killer suspect arrested after murders of Nicholas Simbolon and three homeless men
JERRID Joseph Powell has been arrested in Los Angeles for the murder of four people, according to police.
Powell was arrested earlier this week for allegedly killing Nicholas Simbolon, 42, after following him to his San Dimas home from a Tesla charging station.
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore announced on Saturday that the department had connected Powell to a string of murders targeting three homeless men.
The first of the murders occurred on Sunday, November 26. The second victim was killed a day later and the third died on November 29.
They have been identified as Jose Vamos, 37, Mark Diggs, 62, and a third victim is believed to be a 52-year-old male.
Authorities named Powell as the suspect after his vehicle was found at the scene of all three homicides and a handgun was identified as the murder weapon. He was already in custody for Simbolon's murder when police announced his arrest.
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'Cold-blooded' murders
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore described the killings as "senseless."
“It was chilling and I’ve been in this work for four-plus decades.
"The cold-blooded manner in which he walks up and shoots this individual without any hesitation, no interactions.”
Officials said the suspect was "preying on the unhoused" and left "a path of destruction behind him that we have not yet determined."
Victim described as 'gentle'
Nicholas Simbolon was a county employee and part of the IT staff.
“He was a prolific developer who had recently completed an innovative IT system to process our county’s budget process," Kathyrn Barger, a member of the county Board of Supervisors, noted at a press conference.
"His coworkers describe him as a kind, gentle, and hardworking person."
Cops identify pattern
There's reportedly a pattern in the way each homeless victim was murdered.
"The commonalities among these homicides are that each of the victims was in an open area, alone,” Chief Michel Moore explained.
"We believe a single individual approached each one and shot and killed each one as they slept."
Police are alleging Jerrid Joseph Powell is responsible for the murders.
Public encouraged to come forward
Police are encouraging the public to come forward with more information on the suspect.
"We want to make sure that anybody who may have been a victim of this individual that they come forward and notify your own police department," LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said.
Police arrested Jerrid Joseph Powell last week after four victims were found murdered.
‘Nothing can stop Los Angeles’
Mayor Karen Bass wrote on her official X (formerly Twitter) account that the city was able to work together to arrest suspect Jerrid Joseph Powell.
She added: “Nothing can stop Los Angeles.”
Officials in the city had previously warned the unhoused population to seek shelter if possible or stay in groups as the suspect appeared to target individuals, the LA Times reported.
Four victims over four days
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said in a press conference that the department believes suspect Jerrid Joseph Powell is responsible for four murders.
These four murders took place over four days.
Homicides against homeless people on the rise
Data from the Los Angeles Police Department revealed the rate of homeless homicide has spiked this decade - the total for this decade’s three years exceeds all of last decade’s, The Nation reported.
In 2017, 29 homicide victims in Los Angeles were homeless.
By 2022, that number had jumped to 74.
“You have an epidemic of homelessness and living outside, and an epidemic of gun violence,” says Barbara DiPietro, senior policy director for the National Health Care for the Homeless Council.
“No one should be surprised to see that this is increasing.
"We throw vulnerable people to the wolves every day.”
Homicides against homeless individuals is on the riseCredit: Getty LA Mayor vows to address threats to city’s homeless community
City of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Friday the homeless community in Los Angeles face dangerous conditions daily.
Between four and five unhoused people die every day from a variety of causes, including violence.
The mayor promised to pool housing service providers, regional agencies and elected officials to “ensure they would go out about the threat facing our unhoused community and let individuals know of the threat.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass discusses the murders of three homeless men by a suspected serial killer at the LAPD HeadquartersCredit: Getty Timeline of murders, part three
The second of three murders targeting homeless men occurred on Monday, November 27 at around 4:55 am.
The victim was identified as 62-year-old Mark Diggs. The LA Times reported that Diggs stopped to plug in his phone and was about to sleep before he was killed.
The last murder occurred on Wednesday, November 29 before Powell was arrested in connection with the homicide of Simbolon.
The third victim was a 52-year-old male but authorities have not yet named him.
Timeline of murders, part two
Powell is accused of killing Simbolon on Sunday and was arrested later that week for a robbery-homicide.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters that police connected Powell's car to the scene and were able to locate Powell at a traffic stop late on Wednesday, per the LA Times.
Meanwhile, police were also investigating the murders of three homeless men.
The first murder occurred on Sunday morning in South Los Angeles and the victim was later identified as Jose Bolanos, 37.
Timeline of murders, part one
Jerrid Joseph Powell is accused of murdering Nicholas Simbolon in his San Dimas home.
Powell is believed to have followed Simbolon home, where he allegedly shot him and robbed his house.
Simbolon worked for the county and helped modernize the county’s $47 billion budget software, CBS News reported.
Jerrid Joseph Powell arrested
Jerrid Joseph Powell was arrested on Saturday following a string of murders targetting three homeless men.
He was already in custody for a robbery-homicide, police announced.
He has been named as the suspect in the four separate murders.
Murder spree may have started earlier
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said the killer may have murdered his victims over a period of longer than a week.
"I'm highly suspicious of that," Moore told ABC News.
"I don't see how when you look at the sequence of accounts in four days, four individuals are brutally murdered, and the manner in which they occurred.
"I'm highly suspicious that this did not start just Sunday morning, less than a week ago."
Moore also added that the suspect may have committed another crime outside of the Los Angeles region.
The alleged perpetrator had demonstrated a willingness to reportedly travel as far as San Dimas, which is 48km away from Downtown Los Angeles.
Cops believe Nicholas Simbolon was followed home
Police allege Jerrid Joseph Powell followed Nicholas Simbolon to his San Dimas home from a Tesla charging station.
Authorities pronounced Simbolon dead at the scene and a coroner confirmed he suffered a gunshot wound to the chest.
Surveillance footage revealed
Surveillance footage shows suspect Jerrid Joseph Powell wandering the streets before his arrest.
Jerrid Joseph Powell is accused of murdering four men in Los AngelesCredit: LAPD
Murder victims identified
The disturbing string of murders began on Sunday, November 26 at around 3 am. The first victim was identified as 37-year-old male Jose Vamos.
Second victim Mark Digs, 62, was killed just one day later, on Monday, November 27 at around 4:55 am.
The third murder occurred on Wednesday, November 29 at around 2:30 am. The victim was only identified as a 52-year-old male.
All three victims were killed by gunshot while sleeping or preparing to sleep and in the early morning.
Simbolon, the 42-year-old victim killed in his home, was a tenured Los Angeles County employee who developed software for the local government.
He was married and had two young children.
Police identified murder weapon
Police named Powell as a suspect after his vehicle was found at the scene of all three murders of the homeless men.
A handgun found in Powell's vehicle was identified as the murder weapon, Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said at a press conference.
Cops investigate motive
Police have not yet determined an alleged motive behind the four homicides tied to suspect Jerrid Joseph Powell.
Three out of the four murder victims were homeless.
LA Mayor vows to address homeless community threats
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said Friday the homeless community faces dangerous conditions daily.
Between four and five unhoused people die every day from a variety of causes, including violence.
The mayor promised to pool housing service providers, regional agencies and elected officials to “ensure they would go out about the threat facing our unhoused community and let individuals know of the threat.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass discusses the murders of three homeless men by a suspected serial killer at the LAPD HeadquartersCredit: Getty How police found Jerrid Joseph Powell
LA County Deputy Robert Luna told reporters earlier this week that Jerrid Joseph Powell was arrested after officers discovered a gun tied to Nicholas Simbolon’s murder in his car.
Detectives used footage from a security camera to identify Powell’s car and tracked it.
Victim’s aunt speaks out
Fanny Prentice, Nicholas Simbolon’s aunt spoke to KTLA-TV Los Angeles: “I cannot even express my feelings, how devastated we are right now.”
She described the moment she heard the news: “He says, ‘Noli died,’ just like that.’
“I mean, how can you hear this? Died? Noli died, what? I just saw him Saturday, said goodbye. That will be his last goodbye to me.”
Timeline of arrests, part four
Powell was taken into custody for murdering Simbolon on Wednesday after police identified him as a suspect in the robbery-homicide.
Deputies then recovered a gun that appeared to match the murder weapon, per KTLA-TV.
Authorities did not connect Powell to the murders of three homeless men until after Friday's news conference.
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore announced on Saturday that Jerrid Joseph Powell was the suspect in all four murders.
Official charges are expected to be filed early next week, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón told the LA Times.
Timeline of arrests, part three
The second of three murders targeting homeless men occurred on Monday, November 27 at around 4:55 am.
The victim was identified as 62-year-old Mark Diggs. The LA Times reported that Diggs stopped to plug in his phone and was about to sleep before he was killed.
The last murder occurred on Wednesday, November 29 before Powell was arrested in connection with the homicide of Simbolon.
The third victim was a 52-year-old male but authorities have not yet identified him.
Timeline of arrests, part two
Powell is accused of killing Simbolon on Sunday and was arrested later that week for a robbery-homicide.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters that police connected his car to the scene and were able to locate Powell at a traffic stop late on Wednesday, per the LA Times.
Meanwhile, police were investigating the murders of three homeless men.
The first murder occurred on Sunday morning in South Los Angeles and the victim was later identified as Jose Bolanos, 37.
Timeline of arrests, part one
Jerrid Joseph Powell is accused of murdering Nicholas Simbolon in his San Dimas home.
Powell is believed to have followed Simbolon home, where he shot him and robbed his house.
Simbolon was 42 years old and was a father of two. He worked for the county and helped modernize the county's $47 billion budget software, CBS News reported.