Gov. Gavin Newsom this week announced four rewards of $50,000 each to anyone who provides information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrators of unsolved murders in Fresno, San Pablo, Visalia and unincorporated Butte County.
The rewards issued by the governor involve the following cases:
For Butte County, a $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the murder of Marc Thompson.
On September 3, 2014, the 25-year-old was fatally shot while parked in a remote, wooded location.
The Butte County Sheriff's Office has exhausted numerous investigative leads and has requested that a reward be offered to encourage people with information about this murder to contact Butte County Sheriff's Sgt. Patrick McNelis or Butte County Sheriff's Detective Tristian Harper at 530-538-7671.
In the Fresno case, a $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the murder of Jacqueline Flores.
On July 27, 2021, the 25-year-old mother was in her vehicle with her six-year-old daughter when she was fatally shot.
The Fresno Police Department has exhausted all investigative leads and requested that a reward be offered to encourage people with information about this murder to contact Detective Miguel Alvarez of the Fresno Police Department at 559-621-2441, miguel.alvarez@fresno.gov or Detective Ben Barnes at 559-621-2421, ben.barnes@fresno.gov.
In the city of St. Paul, a $50,000 reward is also being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the murder of Shawn Tillis after the 27-year-old father was fatally shot in his vehicle outside an apartment complex on June 12, 2020.
The St. Paul Police Department has also exhausted all leads in the investigation and requested that a reward be offered to encourage people with information about this murder to contact Sgt. Robert Brady of the St. Paul Police Department at 510-215-3295, RobertB@sanpabloca.gov or Detective Anthony Biama at 510-215-3133, AnthonyB@sanpabloca.gov.
As in the other towns, Visalia is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the murders of Jose Hernandez, Blake Medeiros and Isaiah Rule.
On May 5, 2020, Hernandez and Medeiros, both 19, and Rule, 18, were shot and killed in their vehicle outside a high school. The Visalia Police Department has exhausted all leads in the investigation and requested that a reward be offered to encourage people with information about these murders to contact Visalia Police Department Detective Robert Meier at 559-713-4211.
California law authorizes the governor to offer rewards in certain cold cases for information leading to the apprehension of perpetrators.
Thus, law enforcement agencies can ask the governor to award rewards in certain unsolved cases where they have exhausted all investigative leads to encourage people with information about the crimes to come forward.
Public assistance is vital to law enforcement, and rewards can encourage the public cooperation essential to apprehending those who have committed serious crimes, the Governor's Office said in a statement.
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