A day after finding victim, Turlock police arrest homicide suspect
The day after finding a body in a partially burned room of an abandoned building in a commercial area, Turlock police arrested a suspect in the man’s death.
Turlock resident Danny Eule Stevens, 58, faces a murder charge and is being held without bail in the Stanislaus County jail. He was identified as a person of interest after detectives and the Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit worked on leads and interviewed witnesses, according to a news release.
On Monday, police got a tip that a man who possibly had been assaulted could be found in a building in the 1300 block of West Linwood Avenue, according to the release.
Officers went to check on the welfare of the man at 12:13 p.m. and found him dead. The Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office on Wednesday identified the victim as Brian Vastine, 37.
After attempting to evade police, Stevens was arrested at 2:20 p.m. Tuesday, the news release said. The arrest was on Esperanza Court, less than a mile from the crime scene.
“There is no indication that this was a random act of violence,” the news release said. Investigators do not have a clear motive and believe Stevens knew Vastine for only a short time.
After officers discovered Vastine on Monday, detectives took over the investigation, according to the press release. On the same day, detectives were granted a search warrant to take a closer look at the evidence in the abandoned building and discovered the victim may have been assaulted.
Detectives and investigators with the Stanislaus County Fire Investigation Unit spent hours at the location processing the scene, according to the press release.
The Turlock Police Department urges anyone with information about this investigation to call Detective Gina Giovacchini at 209-668-6539, the tip line at 209-668-5550, ext. 6780, or email tpdtipline@turlock.ca.us.
This story was originally published December 14, 2022 at 5:19 PM.
