Mother’s ex-boyfriend sought in bloody Broadway killings

Sacramento police named Jerod Watson as the suspect in a gruesome triple homicide last weekend on the 700 block of Broadway.

Watson, 52, is “considered armed and extremely dangerous,” police said Tuesday in a statement. They advised anyone who sees him not to approach him but to call 911 or their local law enforcement agency. It’s possible he fled the state, police said.

Christine Lucas, 68, and her two grandsons were found dead Saturday night in an apartment in the Alder Grove housing project on Broadway. Victim Marquise Brown, 23, was the father of a young girl, and victim James R. Ferrell, 20, had graduated from high school in May.

Lucas died of stab wounds and Brown died of cutting and slashing wounds, Sacramento County Coroner Kimberly Gin said Tuesday. She said Ferrell’s autopsy likely will be completed Wednesday.

Watson is an ex-boyfriend of Twanna Lucas, mother of Ferrell and Brown, said Sgt. Bryce Heinlein, a Sacramento police spokesman. Lucas discovered the bodies in the apartment Saturday night.

Court records show Watson has a history of domestic violence charges.

The killings were reported at 7:35 p.m. Saturday, when someone used a phone outside of Fire Station 5 to tell dispatchers there were two dead people in a home across the street from the station.

The apartment where the three were found dead is part of a complex of neat but aging brick buildings that line the 700 block of Broadway in the housing project.

Christine Lucas, known as “Tina” to family and friends, was the wife of the Rev. John Lucas, pastor of Gloryland Revival Center.

Brown was employed by the Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps, an education and job training program whose participants work to restore the environment, his sister said. Ferrell graduated from Heritage Peak Charter High School and was planning to attend American River College, his father said.

Watson was described as black, 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 180 pounds.

Police said he owns and drives a white Mitsubishi Outlander with California license plate 7CYL933. Police released a photo of the vehicle.

Anyone with information regarding Watson’s whereabouts or that would assist in the investigation is asked to call the Police Department’s dispatch center at 916-264-5471 or Crime Alert at 916-443-4357, or submit an anonymous tip using the free “P3 Tips” smartphone app. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

This story was originally published October 18, 2016 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Mother’s ex-boyfriend sought in bloody Broadway killings."