Arrest Made In Porter Ranch Triple Homicide

PORTER RANCH, CA — Detectives Thursday announced the arrest of three suspects in the shooting deaths of three men in an upscale Porter Ranch neighborhood in February. At a Thursday press conference, detectives described the shooting as drug-related.

Authorities arrested three people on the East Coast in what they describe as a triple homicide as part of a drug trafficking scheme. The arrest in the mysterious killings culminates from months of investigation in a crime that shocked a usually quiet community. The three men were killed at a home inside a gated community, and early-on in the case, police determined the victims likely knew their killer or killers, but released few other details about the case.

The Three men killed were Gary Davidson, 34, a renter who lived at the home in the 20300 block of Via Galileo along with Benny Lopez, 45, of Anaheim; and Jesus Perez, 34, of Perris. Police were called to respond to a report of a disturbance at the home at 3:50 p.m. on Feb. 18. Once there, they found the three men killed at the scene. Initial speculation that the homicides may have stemmed from a burglary gone wrong proved false, and investigators began looking for someone known to the victims.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the suspects and victims were all involved in some type of drug trafficking scheme, primarily involving cocaine. The suspects are all awaiting extradition to Los Angeles. Kenneth Peterson was arrested in North Carolina, while Travis Llewellyn Reid and Chaquetta Charmain Cook were arrested in the Baltimore area, according to police.

Police in February quickly determined that the killing wasn't a random act.

It "not a random act and the suspect or suspects were likely known to the victims,"Los Angeles Police Department Capt. William Hayes said shortly after the killings. In fact, Davidson allowed the killers into his home, detectives said at the time.

"... I can't tell you whether items are missing from the home," he said. "I know there was a theory... that it was a burglary and that this was the result of a failed burglary attempt. It's clearly not that. Mr. Davidson allowed these individuals into the house and the shooting occurred in there."

According to police, a woman who lived with Davidson was upstairs when she heard gunfire. She called the police who arrived to find scenes of a struggle and evidence that the killer or killers had been inside the home "for some period of time," according to Hayes said.