City Government

DA Diana Becton’s Office Key to Resolution of 1999 Richmond Homicide

“It’s been a long 22 years since this heinous crime was committed, and justice doesn’t always come swiftly,” said Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton. The “announcement is a major testament to the determination of our law enforcement partners, forensic scientists, and investigators who continued to work on this case for over 20 years and who never gave up the search for the truth.”

Published

4 years ago

May 22, 2022

Oakland Post

Last month, Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton was joined by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Acting Richmond Police Chief Louie Tirona to announce that the 1999 murder of a 28-year-old woman had been solved through use of California's familial DNA search program.

By Margaret Moore

The Cold Case Homicide Unit established under the leadership of Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton was instrumental in finding justice for the family of Meekiah Wadley, who was murdered in Richmond in 1999.

Last month, Becton was joined by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Acting Richmond Police Chief Louie Tirona to announce that the 1999 murder of a 28-year-old woman had been solved through use of California’s familial DNA search program.

“It’s been a long 22 years since this heinous crime was committed, and justice doesn’t always come swiftly,” said Becton. The “announcement is a major testament to the determination of our law enforcement partners, forensic scientists, and investigators who continued to work on this case for over 20 years and who never gave up the search for the truth.”

Richmond police said Jerry Lee Henderson killed Wadley inside her Richmond home in January 1999 but could not bring him to trial because he died of a suspected drug overdose 11 days after her death.

DNA collected at the crime never yielded a direct hit in DNA criminal databases, the Associated Press reported. But in October 2020, investigators asked the state to conduct a familial search.

That search resulted in a hit, meaning that the DNA from the crime scene matched with a parent, sibling or child whose profile was already in the criminal database, according to the Associated Press. “I hope today brings a measure of peace … and closure for Meekiah’s family,” said Bonta. “Nothing can ever bring back a loved one but we are committed to doing all we can to bring the truth to light in the fight for the truth and justice.”

Tirona expressed his gratitude to the members of Richmond Police Department, Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, Contra Costa County Crime Lab, and California Department of Justice Bureau of Forensics for solving this decades-old murder.

Becton was appointed to the DA’s Office in 2017 and elected with overwhelming support in 2018. Since taking office, DA Becton has kept her promise to make real and lasting change, transforming the District Attorney’s Office into one that works for everyone in Contra Costa County and delivering justice for victims.

Among her other accomplishments, District Attorney Becton:

Established a Cold Case Homicide Unit to pursue justice for the victims and families of unsolved murders
Co-leads the FBI Safe Streets Task Force that coordinates the resources of federal, state and local law enforcement on violent crime
Eliminated backlog of untested sexual assault kits and established the county’s first Human Trafficking Unit.

Becton, who is running for reelection, has joined the Code for America initiative to dismiss thousands of old marijuana convictions, which disproportionately affect people of color in the community.

She piloted the California County Resentencing Program to address excessive sentencing and partnered with The Vera Institute of Justice (VERA) on data analysis to uncover and address bias in the disposition of criminal cases.

Under her leadership, the DA’s Office was awarded $1 million to establish a juvenile diversion pre-filing program and created the Reimagine Youth Justice Task Force to recommend alternatives to prison.

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Oakland Post: Week of July 1 – 7, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 1 – 7, 2026

Published

3 days ago

July 5, 2026

Oakland Post

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Inaugural Juneteenth Awards Ceremony Celebrates the Fillmore’s Black History, Leadership and Resilience

Addressing more than 100 Black and Asian attendees, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie stated “San Francisco is reliant on the Black community, and we must invest in this community.”

Published

2 weeks ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, Rev. Dr. Amos Brown, Pastor Emeritus of Third Baptist Church, SF Mayor Daniel Lurie. Photo by Linda Parker Pennington.

By Linda Parker Pennington

The Fillmore Community Ambassadors held its first annual Juneteenth Wesley Johnson White Horse Awards ceremony on June 19 inside the newly reopened Fillmore Heritage Center.

The event featured awards for former San Francisco mayors London Breed and Willie Brown, along with Third Baptist Church Pastor Emeritus, Rev. Dr. Amos Brown.

The Koret Heritage lobby at the newly reopened center at 1330 Fillmore St. held a standing-room-only, culturally diverse and multi-generational audience while the art gallery featured photos of Fillmore community members in action, red Japanese lanterns, art and calligraphy, and Chinese artwork, giving the space a multicultural feel.

Addressing more than 100 Black and Asian attendees, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie stated “San Francisco is reliant on the Black community, and we must invest in this community.”

District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood acknowledged that “the Fillmore community has had a difficult history. Thanks to Rev. Amos Brown’s continuous focus on accountability and resistance, you hold us accountable and continue to inspire us.”

Mahmoud is referring to the Fillmore’s Japanese residents who were forced from their homes and sent to concentration camps during World War II. Black people occupied those homes until the return of their Japanese neighbors and then gave them back, while homes that had been unoccupied were lost. The presence of the Asian community on Juneteenth is a testament to that shared history.

In receiving his honor, Amos Brown elicited a powerful spontaneous call-and-response, where members of San Francisco’s many Black churches proudly shouted out the names: “Bethel AME! Providence Baptist! Jones Memorial! Glide!”

Awards program Master of Ceremonies Shawn Richards of Brothers Against Guns warmly introduced Breed, highlighting her many accomplishments, particularly on “March 16, 2020, when she became the first mayor to shut down a major U.S. city due to COVID-19, saving thousands of lives.”

The audience was captivated by Breed’s emotional speech touching on past traumas, present conditions, and future hopes for the neighborhood where she grew up.

She recalled another trauma of the neighborhood during the City’s redevelopment era in the 1960s, where Black residents were forced to move with a promise of being able to return that was largely unfulfilled.

“We remember when this land was just a field because they bulldozed hundreds of Victorian homes that Black people owned. They built the Fillmore Center, where most Black people can’t afford to live or start their own business. But we are still here.”