Alameda man arrested in connection with Berkeley slaying

Daniel Jordan Dewitt, 23, of Alameda was arrested for the murder of a Berkeley hills man that was fatally beaten Saturday night.

Berkeley Police Department (BPD) Officers responded to a home near Shasta Road and Grizzly Peak Boulevard after a woman called the BPD’s nonemergency line to report a trespasser on her property. According to the police report, the woman’s husband went outside to confront the suspect and was then fatally assaulted. Dewitt was arrested less than a block away.

Daniel Jordan Dewitt

The victim, whose identity has not been revealed, was taken to a local trauma center where he was pronounced dead.

According to a statement made to the San Francisco Chronicle, DeWitt’s mother stated that Daniel has a history with mental illness. Daniel, who graduated from Alameda High in 2007, is the grandson of Al Dewitt, the first African American to serve on Alameda’s City Council.

Numerous residents and community members have offered their support on Berkeleyside’s Facebook page. As stated by Shasta Road resident Charles Ostman, “[t]his is a sad moment for this area, not only for this victim and his family, but for this area. I’ve been here on Shasta Rd. for 32 years…murders and crime are edging ever further into what had been a very quiet and safe neighborhood.” Another poster, Valenta de Regil offered her support: “[n]o matter where one lives, we are all here together, desperation and drugs create a terrifying dis[]connect.”

Dewitt will be arraigned at the Alameda Superior Courthouse on Wednesday and is currently being detained without bail.

Read more:

Mercury News, Mother of suspect in killing of Berkeley man says son has mental problems

Berkeleyside, Berkeley hills neighbors react with shock to murder

SF Gate, Berkeley man, 67, slain outside his house in hills