Quick Take:
The victim, 37-year-old Daniel Hartley, was found dead in the early hours of Jan. 17 near the 700 block of Emeline Avenue.
A 16-year-old boy arrested in Texas on Thursday has been charged in the murder of a man on Emeline Avenue in January, according to the Santa Cruz Police Department.
The victim, 37-year-old Daniel Hartley, was found dead in the early hours of Jan. 17 near the 700 block of Emeline. Hartley — believed to be an unsheltered person originally from Pennsylvania — sustained “blunt force trauma” to the head, police said.
Police say a weapon was used in Hartley’s death but they don’t know what weapon was used.
Following a tip, police determined the Santa Cruz County teen to be a suspect in Hartley’s death and obtained a warrant for his arrest. The teen — whose identity police will not reveal because he is a minor — was in the Houston area at the time.
Thursday, deputies with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office took him into custody on a murder charge. He will soon be extradited to Santa Cruz though a date for extradition has not yet been set, police said.
Police said the motive for the crime remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call (831) 420-5820.