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Man arrested, charged in Palmdale triple homicide

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A command post was set up Jan. 16 near Ranch Center Drive and 40th Street West in Palmdale, where four men in two parked cars were found suffering from gunshot wounds. [Image via April Jenkins]
LOS ANGELES – A homeless man was behind bars Friday in connection with a shooting in January that left three men dead and another wounded in Palmdale.

Jonathan Paul Misirli, 35, is scheduled to be arraigned Monday at the Lancaster courthouse in connection with the Jan. 16 killings of Olukayode Owolabi, 27, of Los Angeles; Sean Cowen, 24, of Van Nuys and David Hernandez- Licona, 25, of Los Angeles.

Misirli is charged with three counts of murder and one count each of attempted murder and second-degree robbery.

The murder charges include the special circumstance allegations of multiple murders and murder during the commission of a robbery, along with allegations that he personally discharged a rifle, according to Ricardo Santiago of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors will decide later whether to seek the death penalty against Misirli, who is being held without bail.

Misirli was arrested about noon Tuesday as he walked along North Vermont Avenue, just north of Los Feliz Boulevard, in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles, according to Deputy Grace Medrano of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff’s detectives learned that Misirli had been living in the park area surrounding the Griffith Park Observatory and was captured without incident as he walked out of the wooded area, she said.

Detectives identified Misirli as the suspected shooter in the deaths of the three men on Rancho Center Drive and 40th Street West in Palmdale. The first deputies to respond around 11:15 p.m. on Jan. 16 located four men in two cars parked at the location, all suffering from apparent gunshot wounds, according to sheriff’s Deputy Marvin Crowder.

Owolabi, Cowen and Hernandez-Licona were pronounced dead at the scene and the fourth victim was taken to a hospital.

Previous related stories:

Coroner IDs three men shot dead in Palmdale

Three killed, one wounded in Palmdale shooting

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12 comments for "Man arrested, charged in Palmdale triple homicide"

  1. What’s a homeless guy doing with a gun? Did he go homeless to escape justice?

  2. Hmmmm? So there were four men in two different cars, from different parts of Los Angeles, that were sitting in a rather remote area late at night. A homeless man with an assault rifle just happens to be in the same area, and decides this would be a good time to use his weapon. I couldn’t make this stuff up, but stranger things have happened.

    • Do not recall a mention anywhere that it was an assault rifle.
      A rifle used in an assault yes.

      • Laughing…ABC News (video). More specifically an AK47 rifle. He also has an active warrant from Tulare County. He was temporarily homeless because he was evading capture, which didn’t work out too well for him. The information is out there, so all you have to do is let it in.

  3. Kill the scum bag with the penalty code of love. Lethal injection like hope it is tainted so it will hurt like hell

  4. Jonathan Misirli lived in Palmdale but was camping in Griffith Park area when he was arrested.

  5. All 4 men that were shot were from out of town. And probable the shooter from what it appears in this story. AV should not get the rap “satistics” for out-of-town visitor violence. Who comes to Palmdale from LA to sit at 40th West(it doesn’t add up). Half the murders and a lot of crime are from people that do not even live here it seems. Recent murders near Ritter Ranch entrance also was out of town people. A lot of the break ends are from people that come from LA for the day to home invade. Lancaster and Palmdale Cities need to tell this to the media more. And lobby to get these murder crimes from out-of-towners into different categories, so not to affect local statistics.

    • Lancaster has LEAPS.Lancaster has LEAPS.Look how good it is.Look how good it is.The plane goes up.The plane goes up.Then crime goes up.Then crime goes up.Up, up, up.Up, up, up.It costs $90,000.00 a month.It costs $90,000.00 a month.For ten years.For ten years.That is $10,800,000.00.That is $10,800,000.00.Of taxpayer money.Of taxpayer money.That goes to Rex’s political pal Frank.That goes to Rex’s political pal Frank.What a joke.What a joke.No to LEAPS.No to LEAPS.Yes to Sherriffs.Yes to Sherriffs.More boots on the ground.More boots on the ground.No to LEAPS.No to LEAPS.

  6. The homeless killer will have quality accommodations for the rest of his life.