Witnesses, surveillance lead to suspect murderer's arrest
SACRAMENTO — Police arrested 25-year-old Casey Brown for the murder of 68-year-old Bernice Nickson, a transient who was fatally stabbed while sleeping early Saturday morning near the Capitol Mall.
At 4:12 a.m. on Saturday, police responded to 8th Street near Capitol Mall after officers from the California Highway Patrol observed a female lying on the ground with a possible stab wound. The woman was transported to U.C. Davis Medical Center where she later died from her injuries.
Using surveillance cameras operated by Regional Transit, homicide detectives were able to determine a general description and initial direction of travel of the suspect. A witness contacted officers at the crime scene and advised that he had located a knife a few blocks away.
The sheriff’s Search and Rescue team used K9s to track the suspect’s direction of travel, which led to additional surveillance video from Westfield Downtown Plaza Security. The mall video led to a witness who was able to provide information for a composite sketch. Based on the composite, a Sacramento police community service officer recognized the suspect from a previous contact, leading to the identification of Brown.
On Monday, the department’s Career Criminal Apprehension Team located and arrested Brown in West Sacramento . A motive for this crime has yet to be determined. Detectives believe that Brown stabbed and killed Nickson, a transient who was sleeping in the area when confronted. Brown will be booked into the Sacramento County Jail for murder.
