Russell Anthony Guerrero was arrested on January 17, 2019, and charged in the December 17, 1990 murder of 30-year-old Jack Upton in Freemont, California. Upton was reported missing when he did not show up for work. He was found brutally murdered in his residence, and his vehicle – a 1985 Nissan – was stolen but was later found abandoned in a shopping mall in Thousand Oaks.
A DNA profile of the suspect was obtained from blood found in the apartment and in the Nissan. No hits to the suspect’s profile were found in CODIS. Police made the initial confirmation by surveillance followed by the surreptitious sampling of his DNA.
The case against Guerrero is pending in Alameda County Superior Court. He had a preliminary hearing on January 25, 2023.
Sources:
Alameda Superior Court. “Online Records Search – Russel Guerrero.” Alameda County Superior Court (Website), n.d. Accessed January 28, 2023. https://publicportal.alameda.courts.ca.gov/publicportal/Home/WorkspaceMode?p=0.
Bay City News Service. “Suspect Arrested in 1990 Cold Case Homicide.” SF Gate, January 24, 2019. Accessed December 21, 2020. https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/Suspect-Arrested-In-1990-Cold-Case-Homicide-13559217.php.
CBS San Francisco. “Fremont Police Use DNA Evidence to Find Suspect in Brutal 1990 Homicide Case.” CBS SF Bay Area, January 24, 2019. Accessed December 21, 2020. https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2019/01/24/fremont-police-dna-evidence-find-suspect-brutal-1990-homicide-case/.
Freemont Police Department. “Suspect Russell Guerrero Arrested for the 1990 Murder of Jack Upton.” Freemont Police Department (Press Release). January 24, 2019. Accessed December 21, 2020. https://www.fremontpolice.gov/Home/Components/News/News/88/312.