Prosecutors say the new counts are tied to deaths from 1993, 2002 and remains found last year in Southcrest.
SAN DIEGO, CA — A 74-year-old man already charged in a 2023 killing now faces three more murder counts tied to two cold cases and human remains found beneath a Southcrest home, San Diego County prosecutors said Wednesday.
Dwight William Rhone pleaded not guilty to the new charges during an arraignment in San Diego Superior Court. The case now links him to four alleged killings across more than three decades. Prosecutors also added a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, raising the stakes if Rhone is convicted.
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said the new charges grew from work by prosecutors and investigators who reviewed old cases and newer evidence after remains were found in December 2025 at a Newton Avenue property where Rhone once lived. “These additional murder charges reflect years of dedicated work,” Stephan said, naming Deputy District Attorney Jalyn McNee and law enforcement partners for finding what prosecutors called critical connections. The agencies involved included San Diego police, the FBI, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the California Highway Patrol. Rhone had already been in custody in the death of Bernardo Moreno, 54, whose body was found in burned debris near Interstate 5 and state Route 905 in October 2023.
The newest charge tied to the Southcrest search names Michael Brown as the victim. Prosecutors said Brown’s remains were found beneath Rhone’s former residence on Newton Avenue after investigators served a search warrant at the property. The date Brown died has not been made public. The two older cases name Ronald Johnken and Heriberto Ruiz. Johnken’s body was found in September 2002 in Chollas Creek near 3300 National Avenue, and the medical examiner determined he died from blunt-force trauma to the head. Ruiz was found dead in December 1993 in an alley near the 3500 block of Acacia Street, and the medical examiner determined he died by strangulation. Prosecutors have not publicly detailed what evidence they say connects Rhone to each death.
The case began to widen publicly on Dec. 2, 2025, when investigators found human remains at 3443 Newton Ave. in San Diego’s Southcrest neighborhood. At the time, authorities described Rhone as a person of interest and said he was a former tenant at the address. San Diego police cold case and missing persons investigators, the District Attorney’s Office, the California Highway Patrol and the FBI took part in the search. Officials said highway patrol detectives had developed information that led investigators to suspect remains were on the property. Because the address was in the city of San Diego, police cold case detectives worked with prosecutors and the county medical examiner to determine the identity of the remains and the cause of death.
The 2023 case against Rhone centers on Moreno, who prosecutors said was found dead near the Interstate 5 and state Route 905 interchange. Authorities said Moreno died from a gunshot wound to the base of the skull, and Times of San Diego reported that prosecutors previously alleged Rhone shot Moreno, set the body on fire and left the remains in burned debris. Rhone was charged before the Southcrest remains were identified. The added charges now place the Moreno case beside deaths from 1993, 2002 and an unknown date tied to Brown. The new allegation of multiple murders means Rhone could face life in prison without parole or the death penalty if convicted, depending on how prosecutors proceed.
Stephan said the filing shows investigators are still trying to answer questions for families whose cases had gone cold. “The District Attorney’s Office will never stop seeking the truth no matter how many years have passed,” Stephan said. “Victims deserve justice and their families deserve answers.” Prosecutors said the investigation remains active and that authorities are reviewing whether Rhone may be connected to other missing, unidentified or deceased people. Officials specifically named two people in their public statement: Danice Galloway, whose body was found May 1, 1989, in a north alley at 3700 Main St. in San Diego, and Antenogenes Gomez Velasquez, who was last seen in 2021 and was last known to live at 3456 Newton Ave.
Rhone is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorneys Jalyn McNee and Annie Sanchez. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. The newly filed case is expected to draw more attention to older unsolved deaths in San Diego, particularly in neighborhoods near Southcrest, Chollas Creek and areas south of downtown. Authorities have not said whether they expect more charges, but they have made clear the review is not finished. The next listed court date for Rhone is March 24, 2027.
The case now stands as a four-count murder prosecution involving deaths prosecutors say span from 1993 to 2025. Investigators continue to examine records and evidence tied to Rhone before his next scheduled court appearance on March 24, 2027.
Author note: Last updated 2026-06-11.