On the evening of May 25th, 38-year old Shannon Marie Johnson called Sutter County Sheriff’s Office to report a shooting. She further detailed that a man had been shot in the head and that she saw a blue car in the area but was unsure if it was connected to the case.
When deputies arrived to the walnut orchard near 11074 Meyers Rad in Live Oak, one deputy located the victim Paramjit Singh Randhawa, while another went searching for the blue vehicle, a Honda. Once located, the deputy signaled for the Honda to pull over. Initially the driver of the Honda tried to avoid capture but he lost control and crashed near Pass and West Butte Road.
The driver was 39-year old Jesus Esteban Perez. A shotgun was found near the Honda and while Perez was not immediately charged with the murder, he was arrested and charged for evading a peace officer, threatening a peace officer, felon in possession of a firearm, and violating his parole. He was booked into the Sutter County Jail where he remains as of July 29th.
Detectives continued their investigation into the murder of Randhawa. With sufficient backing to charge Perez, a murder charge was added to Perez’s case on July 19th as he remained in jail.
Johnson, the reporting party, was also charged in connection with the murder for accessory after the fact. Evidence was discovered supporting that she had lied and deliberately withheld information from investigators. Johnson was released under her own recognizance on July 23rd.
Photos from the SCSO
