Eighteen years after a grisly double homicide shook a Phoenix neighborhood, police have finally slapped cuffs on two men suspected of the crime. The suspects, identified as 45-year-old Johnnie Herron and 46-year-old Johnny Maxwell, are accused of the 2006 murders of Clarissia Saunders, 33, and Rahmon Brown, 27. According to a statement obtained by ABC15, the duo allegedly entered a home near 28th Street and Atlanta Avenue with intentions to commit robbery.
Over the years, the case turned cold as investigators struggled to piece together the puzzle. However, the relentless work of the Cold Case Homicide Squad has to lead to break that nobody saw coming. "After further investigating and reviewing additional avenues of evidence, two suspects were identified as Herron and Maxwell," law enforcement officials said. Herron was nabbed on March 22, while Maxwell was already cooling his heels in jail for unrelated charges.
Detectives' determination paid off when they revisited the case, uncovering new evidence pivotal to pinning the suspects. According to a statement from the Phoenix police disclosed to azfamily.com, "An extensive amount of effort was put into this case until all leads were exhausted." The statement highlighted how the case was meticulously reviewed and additional evidence was processed which ultimately drew the long arc of justice to Herron and Maxwell's doorstep.
The additional evidence processed creatively to revive the case proved critical. Herron, now behind bars at the Maricopa County jail, faces two counts of murder. Details on the newfound evidence and specific motives remain under wraps as authorities continue to piece together the events from that fateful morning when Saunders and Brown met their untimely demise. Both victims were tragically found shot to death at the scene of the apparent robbery gone wrong.
