- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
Lakeport woman arraigned in homicide case; charges pending against male suspects
LAKEPORT, Calif. – One of three suspects alleged to have been involved with two homicides that occurred near Lakeport earlier this week has made her first appearance in court.
Dahnna Phyllis Burrows, 26, of Lakeport was arraigned on Thursday afternoon in Lake County Superior Court, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff.
The Lake County Sheriff's Office said it arrested Burrows, along with 41-year-old Conrad Joseph Velez of Lakeport and his son, 19-year-old Dakota Joseph Velez of Kelseyville, in connection to the murder on Monday of 54-year-old William Frank Busch of Lakeport and the Tuesday death of Edward Harry Morgan, 46, of Kelseyville.
Of the three, Burrows is the only one to be charged so far, said Hinchcliff, adding that not all of the reports have yet been submitted to his office.
He said he anticipated making another filing in the case on Friday.
Hinchcliff said Burrows has been charged with murder, robbery, carjacking, assault with a deadly weapon and being an accessory after the fact in the death of Morgan, who was thrown from an SUV, run over and said to have been assaulted with an unknown weapon on Robin Hill Drive Tuesday afternoon.
So far, Hinchcliff said no charges have been filed against any of the three suspects in the death of Busch, whose body was found in his burned home on Highland Springs Road late Monday night.
“There's still an ongoing investigation and I don't have any reports on it yet,” Hinchcliff said of Busch's homicide.
Burrows and Conrad Velez initially were picked up by Napa Police on an unrelated family disturbance on Tuesday, with the white Chevy Tahoe identified as the vehicle Morgan had been thrown from also located at that time. They were later transported to Lake County by sheriff's personnel, as Lake County News has reported.
Dakota Velez was taken into custody in Hopland on Wednesday afternoon after Mendocino County Sheriff's detectives learned he was hiding in a residence in the 4000 block of Feliz Creek Road, according to Mendocino County Sheriff's Capt. Greg Van Patten.
Van Patten said detectives, patrol deputies, and multiple K-9 units – including one K-9 team from the Willits Police Department – responded and surrounded the residence. They established communication with Dakota Velez, who surrendered to deputies shortly afterward.
Dakota Velez was booked into the Lake County Jail Wednesday night on charges of murder, first degree robbery, carjacking and assault with a deadly weapon. Jail records indicate he is being held on $1 million bail.
Conrad Velez is being held without bail for an assault with a deadly weapon charge, and Burrows' bail remains at $1 million, according to their booking sheets.
Hinchcliff said Conrad Velez has served a prison term for felony assault, while his son has no prior local convictions. Burrows' criminal record locally includes two misdemeanor cases – one for driving under the influence in 2010 and the second for petty theft in 2013.
As for the parts each of the three are alleged to have played in the deaths of Morgan and Busch, that is still being investigated, Hinchcliff said.
The sheriff's office hasn't yet given causes of death for the victims, with autopsies set to take place on Friday.
Law enforcement officials also have not yet suggested a motive for the killings or how the two victims were connected – if they were at all.
“It's going to take a while to figure it out,” Hinchcliff said.
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