BAKERSFIELD, CA - George Dean was arrested for the murder of his son, Jonathan, Wednesday afternoon.
Jonathan Saavedra Dean, 29, was shot and killed in the driver's seat of his car on Silver Dollar Way August 10.
George Dean has been charged with murder, conspiracy, and oral copulation. Police say the oral copulation charge is related to a sexual relationship with one of the juvenile co-conspirators in the murder.
Police believe the shooting was a contract killing George Dean hired a teenaged hitman to gun down his adopted son, according to police reports released in September.
16-year-old Gabriel Rodriguez, a close family friend of the Dean family, initially told detectives he was with Dean when four masked men surrounded the car in the residential neighborhood and ordered the teens to hand over their cellphones. Rodriguez told detectives he fled for his life, running all the way back to the Dean family home, only to return and find Jonathan Dean shot in the head.
Police suspect that may have been a lie, that Rodriguez was the triggerman hired by George Dean father for $20,000, to execute his son.
Detectives reported in September that the plot began to unravel when they interviewed Rodriguez shortly after the shooting. Rodriguez led authorities to another teen, Timothy Hill, who admitted he was with Rodriguez that night of the shooting and helped Rodriguez discard a 9 mm handgun. Hill led officers to a trash can at a home in the 3000 block of Crescent Ridge St. in Bakersfield, where detectives say they recovered what they believe was the murder weapon.
Hill related to detectives George Dean offered to pay Rodriguez $20,000 to carry out the hit, and that he would receive some of the money upfront, and some of it after the killing was carried out. Rodriguez purchased the gun for $500, Hill said. George Dean ordered the hit because he was mad his son Jonathan had sexual relations with an underage, handicapped girl, Hill said.
Hill reported he received a call on the night of August 10 from Rodriguez ordering him to go to Silver Dollar Way where he met 22-year-old Eric Gonzalez. Dean's car approached a short time later, stopped, and Rodriguez walked over and handed them his Apple iPhone.
Rodriguez retrieved the handgun from his waistband, walked over to Dean's car and shot Dean in the left side of the head, Hill said. Hill reported he brought a backpack with a set of extra clothes and WD-40 spray. After the shooting Rodriguez sprayed his arms and hands with WD-40 indicated it would prevent the detection of gunshot residue, Hill said.
Hill and Rodriguez were caught on surveillance video from a nearby business fleeing the area, according to the police reports. When confronted with the evidence Rodriguez requested an attorney, detectives said.
When interviewed by detectives Gonzalez denied participating in the murder. Though, he admitted to talking with Rodriguez about the hired hit, and said Rodriguez offered to pay him $25,000 to commit the crime. Gonzalez said he declined, but was told by Rodriguez that Jonathan Dean had $250,000 worth of life insurance policies.
A relative of Gonzalez told detectives Gonzalez left the night of the murder saying he had to go to work. She then reported Gonzalez called her around 1 a.m. asking to be picked up at a security company where he was dressed in a black shirt and black cargo pants. The relative said the next day, she and Gonzalez drove to a home to retrieve a bag of marijuana that was reported to have been left there for him and that Gonzalez became agitated when the marijuana couldn't be located.
George Dean denied ordering a hit on his son when he was interviewed by detectives the day after the shooting. Dean said there were two life insurance policies on his son.
Jonathan Saavedra Dean, 29, was shot and killed in the driver's seat of his car on Silver Dollar Way August 10.
George Dean has been charged with murder, conspiracy, and oral copulation. Police say the oral copulation charge is related to a sexual relationship with one of the juvenile co-conspirators in the murder.
Police believe the shooting was a contract killing George Dean hired a teenaged hitman to gun down his adopted son, according to police reports released in September.
16-year-old Gabriel Rodriguez, a close family friend of the Dean family, initially told detectives he was with Dean when four masked men surrounded the car in the residential neighborhood and ordered the teens to hand over their cellphones. Rodriguez told detectives he fled for his life, running all the way back to the Dean family home, only to return and find Jonathan Dean shot in the head.
Police suspect that may have been a lie, that Rodriguez was the triggerman hired by George Dean father for $20,000, to execute his son.
Detectives reported in September that the plot began to unravel when they interviewed Rodriguez shortly after the shooting. Rodriguez led authorities to another teen, Timothy Hill, who admitted he was with Rodriguez that night of the shooting and helped Rodriguez discard a 9 mm handgun. Hill led officers to a trash can at a home in the 3000 block of Crescent Ridge St. in Bakersfield, where detectives say they recovered what they believe was the murder weapon.
Hill related to detectives George Dean offered to pay Rodriguez $20,000 to carry out the hit, and that he would receive some of the money upfront, and some of it after the killing was carried out. Rodriguez purchased the gun for $500, Hill said. George Dean ordered the hit because he was mad his son Jonathan had sexual relations with an underage, handicapped girl, Hill said.
Hill reported he received a call on the night of August 10 from Rodriguez ordering him to go to Silver Dollar Way where he met 22-year-old Eric Gonzalez. Dean's car approached a short time later, stopped, and Rodriguez walked over and handed them his Apple iPhone.
Rodriguez retrieved the handgun from his waistband, walked over to Dean's car and shot Dean in the left side of the head, Hill said. Hill reported he brought a backpack with a set of extra clothes and WD-40 spray. After the shooting Rodriguez sprayed his arms and hands with WD-40 indicated it would prevent the detection of gunshot residue, Hill said.
Hill and Rodriguez were caught on surveillance video from a nearby business fleeing the area, according to the police reports. When confronted with the evidence Rodriguez requested an attorney, detectives said.
When interviewed by detectives Gonzalez denied participating in the murder. Though, he admitted to talking with Rodriguez about the hired hit, and said Rodriguez offered to pay him $25,000 to commit the crime. Gonzalez said he declined, but was told by Rodriguez that Jonathan Dean had $250,000 worth of life insurance policies.
A relative of Gonzalez told detectives Gonzalez left the night of the murder saying he had to go to work. She then reported Gonzalez called her around 1 a.m. asking to be picked up at a security company where he was dressed in a black shirt and black cargo pants. The relative said the next day, she and Gonzalez drove to a home to retrieve a bag of marijuana that was reported to have been left there for him and that Gonzalez became agitated when the marijuana couldn't be located.
George Dean denied ordering a hit on his son when he was interviewed by detectives the day after the shooting. Dean said there were two life insurance policies on his son.