Jerod Watson arrest photo
SACRAMENTO — A man — arrested on February 24, 2017, on panhandling charges in Biloxi, Mississippi — who has been linked in the deaths of a woman and her two grandsons in Sacramento was arrested on Tuesday, April 4, 2017.
Jerod Michael Watson, 53, of Sacramento, was booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of the 2016 murders of Christine Lucas, 68; Marquise Brown, 23; and James Ferrell, 20, all of Sacramento. The three victims were found deceased in the Alder Grove housing project on Broadway Avenue, on October 15, 2016. They had been stabbed and slashed to death.
It was three days after the deaths that Watson was named as a primary suspect. His abandoned SUV was found in Reno, Nevada a week after the slayings. Authorities said Watson was a family friend and ex-boyfriend of Twanna Lucas, the mother of the Brown and Ferrell.
Lucas was the wife of the Reverend John Lucas, pastor of Gloryland Revival Center. Brown was the father of a young girl and was employed by the Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps. Ferrell hit just graduated from high school with plans of going to college.
Court records showed Watson had a history of domestic violence charges. The suspect was arraigned on Thursday, April 6, 2017 in Sacramento Superior Court. This was the first time the suspect faced a judge since the slayings last fall. The courtroom was filled with dozens of people, many who wore sweatshirts emblazoned with the photos of the victims.
Watson faces three counts of murder with special circumstances in the October killings. He will return to Sacramento Superior Court April 20 for further arraignment.
