Suspected Serial Killer Charged In SoCal Murder Spree Spanning More Than 30 Years: DA

SAN DIEGO, CA — A San Diego man already facing a murder charge in a 2023 killing has been accused of three additional homicides, including a case dating back more than three decades, prosecutors announced this week.

Dwight Rhone, 74, was arraigned Wednesday on new charges tied to two cold cases involving bodies discovered in 1993 and 2002, as well as human remains found at a Southcrest home in December 2025.

Rhone is already being prosecuted in the October 2023 killing of Bernardo Moreno, whose body was found in burned debris near the Interstate 5 and state Route 905 interchange. Authorities said Moreno died from a gunshot wound to the base of his skull.

The additional charges stem from the deaths of three men. Michael Brown's remains were discovered in December 2025 beneath a former residence linked to Rhone. Ronald Johnken's body was found in September 2002 in Chollas Creek, and Herierto Ruiz was found dead in December 1993 in an alley.

According to prosecutors, Brown's remains were uncovered beneath a Newton Avenue residence after investigators executed a search warrant at the property. The medical examiner determined Johnken died from blunt-force trauma to the head, while Ruiz died by strangulation.

District Attorney Summer Stephan credited years of investigative work by prosecutors and local, state and federal law enforcement agencies for connecting Rhone to the killings.

"Our commitment to holding violent offenders accountable remains as strong today as it was on the day these crimes were committed," Stephan said. "The District Attorney's Office will never stop seeking the truth no matter how many years have passed. Victims deserve justice and their families deserve answers."

In addition to the three murder charges, prosecutors filed a special-circumstance allegation for committing multiple murders. Rhone remains in custody and is scheduled to return to court March 24, 2027.

The investigation remains ongoing as authorities review additional missing-person cases and unidentified or deceased persons who may be associated with the defendant.

Investigators are seeking information related to Danice Galloway, whose body was found on May 1, 1989 in San Diego, and Antenogenes Gomez Velasquez, who was last seen in 2021 and was last known to reside at 3456 Newton Ave. in San Diego.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the San Diego Police Department's Homicide Unit at 619-531-2293 or San Diego County Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.