Suspect In 1990 San Francisco Cold Case Homicide Arrested Near Santa Barbara
SANTA BARBARA (CBS SF) – Authorities in Santa Barbara County have arrested a man suspected in a homicide in San Francisco more than three decades ago.
The San Francisco Police Department announced Friday that James Francis Edwards was arrested Wednesday afternoon in the community of Carpentaria while Santa Barbara County deputies were conducting a welfare check on another person.
Deputies found Edwards and ran a records check, discovering a warrant for Edwards in the 1990 killing of 46-year-old Lamar Vaughn, police said. Edwards was then arrested and taken to the Santa Barbara County Jail.
Police said Edwards, who was 40 at the time, fatally shot Vaughn on the 200 block of Potrero Avenue on the morning of November 5, 1990. According to investigators, the two had been involved in an argument before the shooting.
Investigators identified the suspect as Edwards and obtained an arrest warrant for murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm. During their investigation, investigators learned that Edwards used multiple identities and likely fled the state.
As of Friday, Edwards remains in the custody of Santa Barbara County authorities, pending transfer to the San Francisco County Jail, police said.
