Massage Parlor Homicide Suspect Arrested
December 30, 2010
On Tuesday, December 7, 2010, Mesa Police officers responded to
a disturbance call at the Taiwan Massage Parlor located at 2653
W. Baseline Road. The owner of the business, Xiaohong Fu (42),
was found deceased inside the business from what appeared to be
multiple stab wounds. The suspect, described as an Asian male,
fled the scene in a white pickup truck prior to police arrival.
Soon after the homicide, the Fusion Center disseminated
information about the case to other valley law enforcement
agencies. On December 14, 2010, the Gilbert Police Department
informed Mesa detectives than on Friday, December 10, 2010, they
investigated an armed robbery incident at a Christmas tree lot
that may be connected to the Mesa case. This incident involved
an armed robbery committed by an Asian male suspect, who was
arrested and identified as James Clayton Johnson (27). Johnson
matched the description of the suspect provided by witnesses in
the Mesa case.
Based
on this information, Mesa Police homicide detectives responded
to Johnson's address and located a white pickup truck parked in
the driveway. The pickup truck matched the description of the
vehicle, captured on the surveillance video, fleeing the
homicide scene. Search warrants were served on Johnson's
residence and truck.
On December 28, 2010, the Mesa Crime Lab notified investigators
that DNA obtained from zip ties left at the scene was entered
into the Combined DNA Index System. The DNA obtained from the
zip ties matched Johnson's DNA, which had been previously
downloaded and stored in the DNA Index System from a prior
felony conviction.
On December 29, 2010, investigators attempted to interview
Johnson and he claimed that he did not know anything about the
incident and requested an attorney. Johnson (shown here in
photo) was booked on one count of 1st Degree Murder and one
count of Kidnapping.