Prospect Street homicide suspect arrested

WATSONVILLE — Watsonville Police have arrested a suspect in Wednesday’s double shooting that left one man dead and a woman seriously injured.

On Thursday evening WPD detectives received information from various sources, including community members that focused the investigation to Michael Miller, 34, of Watsonville as the primary suspect. Working closely with the Santa Cruz County Gang Task Force and the District Attorney's office, WPD detectives were able to gather enough information against Miller to arrest him on suspicion of murder, Sgt. Saul Gonzalez said.

On Wednesday Watsonville police responded to a report of a woman who had been shot on Prospect Street at 3:05 a.m. after she showed up at a resident’s front door pleading for help. A blood trail led police to another shooting victim: Dominic Mower, 37, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds inside an abandoned building at 200 Prospect St.

The woman, who has not been identified, remains hospitalized in a bay area hospital. She has regained consciousness and has been working with investigators, Gonzalez said.

As detectives worked around the clock, Miller was located at 8:30 p.m. on the 500 block of Argos Circle in Watsonville where he was safely taken into custody, Gonzalez said.

A search warrant was executed at a residence on Argos Circle where he was believed to be staying. Three vehicles were also seized for later processing by the Department of Justice. Items of evidence were collected as a result of the search warrants linking Miller to the crimes, including a firearm believed to be the murder weapon, Gonzalez said.

Miller was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail on murder, attempted murder, and gun enhancements. He has no bail and is expected in court as early as Tuesday morning.

“The motive for the crime has still not been determined, but we can clearly say it was not gang motivated and Mower was specifically targeted,” Gonzalez said.

Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to contact the WPD Investigation Division at 768-3350 or the Crime Tip Line at 768-3544.



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