Arrest in murder of teen gunned down in Merced

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- A grieving Merced family now has some closure after an arrest in the murder of a 16-year-old boy. Police say the suspect was already in jail when they cracked the case.

A memorial now marks the corner where Donovan Webster was murdered just after midnight on February 17th. On that day, his devastated parents told us the teen had been living at a group home in Madera for the past three months -- and was only back in Merced for about 30 minutes before he was killed.

Donovan's mother, Redonda Evans said, "He wanted to go see his brother, which was around the corner at his friend's house, and not even 5 minutes after he left the house we heard gunshots, and I came outside, and I seen him lying on the ground, and he had been shot."

Now police say they know who pulled the trigger, 22-year-old Jerome Wynne. He was already in jail for being a felon in possession of a gun and gang enhancements when detectives say they solved the case with help from the community.

Capt. Tom Trindad with the Merced Police Department said, "When we had enough information to make an arrest on the homicide we went over to the jail and arrested him for that charge."

Donovan's aunt told us off camera the suspect and victim were friends, and she doesn't believe police got the right guy. But his father disagrees.

Donovan's father, Michael Evans said, "I do believe the detective who has been on this case from day 1 from the time of the incident until now, I trust his judgment, I trust what evidence that he has is enough to hold."

Michael Evans and his wife have moved out of town since the murder, and say coping with their son's death has been almost unbearable. But they are thankful the suspect is no longer on the streets.

Capt. Trindad added, "We always want to seek justice for the family and one way we can give them a small amount of closure is by arresting the person responsible so society can hold him accountable for the crime."

Merced police believe murder was gang-related.

Donovan's father says he now realizes he may not have known as much about his son's life as he thought he did -- but he plans to be in court in hopes of learning more about the exact motive.