Suspect in 2015 Seaside cold case killing arrested in Mexico

By Tim Fang

More than 10 years after a man was fatally shot along Highway 1 in Monterey County, authorities located the suspected killer in Mexico, police said.

Seaside Police announced that detectives took custody of 29-year-old Edward Rodriguez from U.S. Marshals at San Francisco International Airport on Saturday morning.

“Since 2015, the United States Marshals Service has been assisting in efforts to locate Rodriguez,” police said in a statement.

Rodriguez is accused of killing Khaleel Johnson during a confrontation on the early morning of March 15, 2015.

Police said the confrontation between the two began on Del Monte and Hannon avenues, continuing onto Canyon Del Rey Boulevard and onto Highway 1, ending at the Fremont Boulevard off-ramp. During the confrontation, police said Rodriguez fired multiple shots, fatally striking Johnson.

Following the shooting, police said Rodriguez fled the country to Mexico. Investigators were able to locate Rodriguez in Oaxaca, more than 2,000 miles away.

Police said U.S. Marshals coordinated with local authorities in Mexico to secure his arrest. Rodriguez was booked into the Seaside City Jail on suspicion of murder.

Rodriguez has since been booked into the Monterey County Jail.