Man arrested nearly a year after man, pregnant wife killed in Ventura County beach home

Arrest made in California beach house killings

VENTURA, Calif. — Authorities say DNA evidence ties a man to the slaying of a pregnant woman and her husband at their beachfront home in Southern California while their two young children were home.

Ventura County sheriff’s investigators said Monday they used a DNA database to link Joshua Packer to the May 2009 murders after Packer was arrested for investigation of robbery at a Santa Barbara gas station.

Brock and Davina Husted, both 42, were repeatedly stabbed by an intruder wearing a motorcycle helmet who slipped into their Faria Beach home through an open sliding-glass door.

Police considered it a triple homicide because Davina Husted was about five months pregnant.

Packer, a security guard, was being held in county jail on $2.2 million bail. It wasn’t immediately known if he retained an attorney.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — A man was arrested in the stabbing of a pregnant woman and her husband at their beachfront house in Southern California while their two young children were home, police said Monday.

Joshua Packer, 20, was taken into custody Sunday and booked for investigation of three counts of murder and two counts of robbery, capping a nearly yearlong investigation into the crime that shocked their upscale waterfront community in Ventura County.

Brock and Davina Husted, both 42, were repeatedly stabbed in May by an intruder wearing a motorcycle helmet who slipped into their Faria Beach home through an open sliding-glass door. Police considered it a triple homicide because Davina Husted was about five months pregnant.

The couple’s two children were home at the time of the attack and were not hurt.

Their 9-year-old son saw a man confront his mother in the kitchen and ran to his 11-year-old sister, who was asleep, authorities said. The children then ran to a neighbor’s home and called 911.

“It’s horrible for the children,” sheriff’s Capt. Ross Bonfiglio said.

DNA evidence played a role in the arrest, but Bonfiglio declined to release details. Investigators previously said they believed the Husteds were targeted before the stabbings, but no motive has been provided

Bonfiglio said Monday he wasn’t certain if police had established a link between the suspect and victims.

A news conference was scheduled later Monday.

“Closure is important” to relatives of the victims, Bonfiglio said. “They want to know at least someone’s been brought to justice.”

Packer, a security guard, was being held in county jail on $2.2 million bail. It wasn’t immediately known if he retained an attorney.

The beachfront community is located along U.S. Highway 101 about 80 miles from Los Angeles.

Packer also has a recent rash of legal problems, according to court documents.

In January, sheriff’s detectives in neighboring Santa Barbara County arrested Packer for investigation of a 2009 armed robbery at a gas station. He is suspected of pulling a gun and ordering a clerk to the ground.

The robber fled with the clerk’s cell phone and wallet, and cash and cigarettes from the store, authorities said. Packer posted $115,000 bail and was released from Santa Barbara County jail in late January.

He was scheduled to appear in court Thursday in Santa Barbara for a preliminary hearing.

In Ventura County, Packer has been charged with misdemeanor battery stemming from an incident in November. A month later, he was charged with misdemeanor hit-and-run. Further details weren’t immediately available.

Associated Press Writers Alicia Chang and Greg Risling in Los Angeles contributed to this report.