Suspect arrested in murder of man found dumped in West Oakland
on October 4, 2015
Police arrested a suspect Friday in the killing of a Richmond man whose body was found dumped in West Oakland.
Richmond police said they took Seth Sears, 36, of Richmond into custody for the murder of Neil Akin, 24. Sears and Akin were friends who had “known each other for a number of years,” police said Friday in a news release.
The arrest capped a murderous week for Richmond in which the body count rose by three in a span of 12 hours.
Richmond Police said they are investigating the deaths last Monday of Hoang Nguyen and Eric Aguilar, who were shot in a car at San Pablo Avenue and Natalie Court. Police have not named a suspect.
Then, at 8 a.m. on Tuesday last week, Akin’s body, wrapped in plastic, was found by the Oakland Police Department on the 2800 block of Union Street in West Oakland. A preliminary investigation revealed that Akin had ties to Richmond.
Oakland and Richmond detectives worked together to trace the scene of the crime to Seth Sears’ residence on 16th Street near Barrett Avenue. Richmond police said they arrested Sears at a traffic stop on Friday.
Akin’s murder remains under investigation. Police offered no new details as to the apparent friendship between Akin and Sears, or what caused it to turn.
The killings last week brought the number of Richmond homicides so far this year to 16, eclipsing the total of 11 reported for all of 2014.
Lt. Felix Tan said that there is no indication of a connection between the latest murders. Tan described the incidents as “specific and targeted,” as opposed to random acts of violence.
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