Modesto police arrest suspect in nearly 20-year-old shooting death
DNA helped identify a suspect in a nearly 20-year-old homicide case, Modesto police report, and the man — arrested Tuesday afternoon — has confessed.
This is the second cold homicide case solved by the Police Department’s Violent Crimes Unit this month. The first was the arrest in Texas mid-month of a former Modesto man suspected in the case of a 15-year-old who disappeared on April 25, 1986, and is presumed murdered.
Tuesday afternoon’s arrest of 38-year-old Modesto resident Justin Guice is in the case of a fatal shooting during what appeared to have been a home invasion robbery gone wrong.
On Aug. 18, 2004, at about 8:30 p.m., officers responded to the incident at an apartment complex in the 1800 block of Tully Road, near Briggsmore Avenue. They found 31-year-old Tajuan Belton outside, suffering at least one gunshot wound.
Modesto Bee reporting at the time said Belton staggered out of his apartment and collapsed in front of the complex. He died before emergency personnel got him to Doctors Medical Center.
According to police at the time, witnesses said Belton opened his door after hearing a knock. When he did, the gunman forced his way in and shot Belton with a handgun.
Tuesday’s MPD news release says the suspect fled the scene, leaving behind evidence that was collected by investigators. “Detectives from our Violent Crimes Unit thoroughly reviewed this cold case and collaborated with the Department of Justice to obtain a DNA profile from the collected evidence, utilizing modern techniques. This collaborative effort successfully led to the identification of 38-year-old Justin Guice, a resident of Modesto, as a potential suspect.”
Tuesday, Detectives Josh Grant and Josh Lawrence interviewed Guice, “which resulted in a full confession” to the shooting death of Belton, the release says.
Detectives told department spokeswoman Sharon Bear that there is no indication of any other participants in the shooting.
Guice faces charges of murder, discharge of a firearm causing death, and home invasion. He is being held without bail.
This story was originally published August 29, 2023 at 5:58 PM.
