Local News in Brief : Murder Suspect Let Go
A man described by police as the “primary suspect” in the slaying of a prominent South Los Angeles woman was released from custody because of a lack of evidence against him, police said Friday.
The district attorney’s office decided Thursday not to charge Makeitha Christon, 34, with the murder of Hertycine Johnson. “He is still our primary suspect, but we need more evidence,” Detective Dave Grabelski said. “We know at least two other people witnessed the crime, but we can’t find them.”
Johnson, 37, an active member of the California Black Republican Council, was found shot to death the night of Feb. 1, her body sprawled across a curb.
Grabelski declined to elaborate on what led detectives to suspect Christon, saying only that investigators had “established a relationship” between him and Johnson.
Christon, a registered sex offender who was released from prison in 1980, was re-arrested Thursday on suspicion of failing to inform authorities of a new address, Grabelski said. He was ordered back to court for arraignment on the new charge.
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