Three Additional Murder Charges Filed Against Man Linked to Southcrest Human Remains Investigation
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced today that Dwight Rhone, 74, who is currently charged with one count of murder in connection with the 2023 killing of Bernardo Moreno, now faces three additional murder charges, as well as a special circumstance for committing multiple murders. The new charges are tied to two cold cases involving bodies discovered in 1993 and 2002, as well as human remains found at a Southcrest home in December of 2025.
“These additional murder charges reflect years of dedicated work by Deputy District Attorney Jalyn McNee and our law enforcement partners, whose persistence and attention to detail helped uncover critical connections between this defendant and multiple victims, including victims whose cases had gone cold,” DA Stephan said. “This outstanding work and remarkable development were also made possible through the invaluable partnership and expertise of SDPD, FBI, NCIS and CHP. Together, we were able to crack these cases, uncover critical evidence, and advance our pursuit of justice for multiple victims and their families.”
Murders tied to the defendant now include the following:
Michael Brown (remains found December 2025): Brown’s remains were discovered beneath a former residence of the defendant on Newton Avenue after investigators executed a search warrant at the property.
Bernardo Moreno (October 2023): Moreno was found dead in burned debris near the Interstate 5 and State Route 905 interchange. He died from a gunshot wound to the base of the skull. Rhone is currently being prosecuted on this case.
Ronald Johnken (September 2002): Johnken’s body was discovered in Chollas Creek near 3300 National Avenue. The Medical Examiner determined he died from blunt-force trauma to the head.
Heriberto Ruiz (December 1993): Ruiz was found dead in an alley near the 3500 block of Acacia Street. The Medical Examiner determined he died by strangulation.
Rhone was arraigned on the three additional murder charges today and pleaded not guilty. He will be in court again on March 24, 2027.
“Our commitment to holding violent offenders accountable remains as strong today as it was on the day these crimes were committed,” DA 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.”
The investigation remains ongoing and investigators continue to examine additional missing-person cases and unidentified or deceased persons potentially associated with the defendant. Anyone with information regarding Danice Galloway (DOB 12/15/1955), whose body was discovered on May1, 1989 in the north alley located at 3700 Main Street in San Diego, or Antenogenes Gomez Velasquez (DOB 7/16/1981), who was last seen in 2021 and was last known to reside at 3456 Newton Ave in San Diego, is encouraged to contact the San Diego Police Homicide Unit at (619) 531-2293 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.
Deputy DA Jalyn McNee and Deputy DA Annie Sanchez are prosecuting this case.
