Man arrested in Iowa in shooting deaths of couple near their Long Beach home

A 29-year-old man was arrested in Iowa this week on suspicion of killing a couple near their Long Beach home after an argument.

Joshua Wells of Long Beach was tracked down by detectives and U.S. Marshals at a relative’s home in Windsor Heights, Iowa on Thursday, Sept. 16, two weeks after the shooting.

The small town sits just west of Des Moines.

At a Saturday morning news conference, Long Beach Police Chief Robert Luna deliberately did not say the suspect’s name or show his photo, instead displaying a photo of the shooting victims.

“The victims need to be honored here and people need to see the victims’ faces, not the suspect who did this,” Luna said.

Wells was accused of shooting Juan Guizar-Gutierrez, 39, and Maricela Honorato, 44, near their home in the 900 block of Park Circle, about 7:50 p.m. Sept. 4, Long Beach police officials said.

Guizar-Gutierrez died on the sidewalk, police said. He was shot in the head, according to a coroner’s report.

Honorato later died at a hospital of a gunshot wound to the chest, the coroner’s report said.

Luna described the couple as “dear” members of the community, adding, “Every police officer and detective in this department wanted to solve this senseless murder.”

Police had received a call of a fight in progress at the location and arrived to find Guizar-Gutierrez down on the sidewalk and Honorato down in the street, police said.

Detectives believe the motive for the shooting may have involved an earlier argument, Luna said. He did not provide specifics, but police later said the possibility of a road rage incident has not been ruled out.

It was not believed the victims and suspect knew each other prior to the altercation.

Detectives canvassed the area and spoke with witnesses to help them identify the suspect, Luna said. Police presented their case to the District Attorney’s office on Tuesday, Sept. 14, and obtained an arrest warrant. The suspect was found two days later.

Two search warrants were served Thursday in the 900 block of Loma Vista Drive in Long Beach and in Clive, Iowa. Police said they found evidence tying the suspect to the shooting in both locations, but did not offer specifics. It was not known if the murder weapon was found.

The suspect was booked into jail on two counts of murder and was being held on more than $6 million bail. He will be extradited to Long Beach to face the charges, Luna said.

Wells was the lone suspect, but detectives were still looking into the possibility that others may have been involved before, during or after the shooting.

Family members of both victims attended the news conference, but did not want to speak.

“This was a very tragic incident and certainly not reflective of the Long Beach community,” Luna said.