CHP detectives arrest Oakland man for 2023 murder of his wife
Authorities with the California Highway Patrol on Friday announced the arrest of an Oakland man suspected of fatally shooting his own wife almost two years ago.
According to a Facebook post by the CHP Golden Gate Division Friday afternoon, detectives with the CHP's Special Investigations Unit (SIU) arrested 49-year-old Oakland resident Nathanuel McCowan Thursday evening for the 2023 murder of his wife, Laketha McCowan.
The post said the investigation began early on the morning of Feb. 26, 2023, when Oakland CHP officers responded to a report of an assault in progress at approximately 1:30 a.m. on the Edwards Avenue offramp from eastbound Interstate Highway 580 in Oakland.
Arriving officers found a woman on the shoulder of the offramp with a gunshot wound. Paramedics responded and pronounced the woman -- later identified as McCowan -- dead at the scene. CHP detectives took over the investigation and identified Nathanuel McCowan as the primary suspect in the fatal shooting.
After nearly two years of investigation, CHP detectives worked with the Alameda County District Attorney's Office to file charges against McCowan. He was formally charged by Alameda Superior Court on Thursday with an arrest warrant issued the same day.
At approximately 11:50 p.m. Thursday night, detectives along with officers from the CHP's South Sacramento and Stockton offices and the Elk Grove Police Department were able to locate McCowan at Sky River Casino in Elk Grove. With assistance from casino security, authorities identified McCowan's location inside the casino and took him into custody without incident.
He was transported to Alameda County and booked into Santa Rita Jail.
"I want to thank our incredible investigative team for their dedication and relentless pursuit of justice for the victim," CHP Golden Gate Division Chief Don Goodbrand said in the post. "This arrest is a great example of the teamwork necessary between law enforcement and prosecutors to hold suspects to answer for their crimes."
