2 Youths, Suspected in Killing of Boy, 9, Surrender to Police

Two young men sought in the killing of a 9-year-old Upland boy whose body was found at the bottom of a cliff surrendered to authorities Sunday.

Richard LaLonde, 18, of Upland, one of four teen-age suspects in the death of Jason Matthew Lea, phoned the Upland Police Department at 9:30 a.m. and told officers they could meet him at a nearby McDonald’s restaurant, Deputy Bill Wehner said.

LaLonde was taken to the Walnut sheriff’s station, where he was booked for investigation of murder.

Sunday night, at about 8 p.m., a fourth suspect, Wayne Owen Hobbs of Upland, appeared at the Upland police station and was taken into custody for investigation into the murder, Sgt. Terry Judge said.

After questioning, Hobbs, 19, was booked for investigation of murder.

Both suspects were being held without bail.

Authorities provided no explanation Sunday for why the two suspects surrendered.

Investigators have yet to determine a motive for the killing of Jason, who disappeared the night of July 29 after telling his grandfather--with whom he lived--that he was going for a short bicycle ride.

The results of a preliminary autopsy proved to be inconclusive, coroner’s officials said, and more tests have been ordered by investigators to reach a definite identification of the partly decomposed body, and to determine how and when the boy was killed.

Coroner’s officials said it could be 10 to 14 days before toxicological test results and X-rays are available.

According to police, witnesses said Jason was last seen with the four teen-agers at the Upland Bowl, a popular arcade a few blocks east of where his bike was found. Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were called in when Jason’s nude body was discovered Friday at the bottom of a 200-foot cliff on Glendora Ridge Road in the Mt. Baldy area, about two miles west of the San Bernardino County line.

A day before the body was recovered, police arrested two youths, ages 16 and 17, and announced that they were seeking two other suspects.

“We believe these . . . (suspects) were friends and acted in concert in committing this crime,” Upland Police Capt. Douglas Millmore said.

Police say LaLonde, who is unemployed, has a criminal record, but they did not elaborate. Officers did not release any details about Hobbs.