Eureka police have arrested a 22-year-old Tennessee man on suspicion of the murder of Brett Keiling, who died after a Sept. 26 assault near the 400 block of Third Street.
Eureka detectives, working in conjunction with the city’s Community Safety Enhancement Team, identified Connor Whited as a suspect in the case, obtained an arrest warrant and took him into custody Saturday without incident.
Whited is being held on $1 million bail after, according to EPD, the investigation determined the fatal assault was not a random act of violence and that Whited had targeted Keiling, 55, who had recently moved to the area from Indiana.
See the full press release from EPD copied below:
Update: Over the course of this Homicide investigation the Eureka Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID), with assistance from many sections within EPD, have been following up on several leads into the September 26 assault on Brett Keiling. On October 19, 2019, CID, working in conjunction with our Community Safety Enhancement Team (CSET), identified the suspect as Connor Whited (22), from Nashville, Tennessee. An arrest warrant was obtained and at approximately 1:00 p.m. today, Whited was located by a member of CSET and taken into custody without incident.
Whited was transported and booked at the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for murder and is being held on a million-dollar bond.
The investigation has revealed that this was not a random act of violence and Keiling was the intended target of the assault.
This is still a very active investigation and further information will be released as appropriate. Anyone who has information about this crime should contact Sr. Detective Ron Harpham at 707-441-4305 or rharpham@ci.eureka.ca.gov.
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Update: The victim of the September 26, 2019 assault near the 400 block of Third Street has passed away as a result of the injuries received during the assault. This is now an active homicide investigation. The next of kin has been notified and the victim has been identified as Brett Keiling (55 of Indiana). An autopsy is scheduled for October 11, 2019.
This is an active investigation and further information will be released as appropriate. Anyone who has information about this crime should contact Sr. Detective Ron Harpham at 707-441-4305 or rharpham@ci.eureka.ca.gov
Original Release: On September 26, 2019 at about 5:25 a.m., a Sergeant with the Eureka Police Department was patrolling an alley near the 400 block of Third street in Eureka when he located an injured man. The 55-year-old male, who recently moved here from Indiana, was transported to a local hospital for emergency care. Investigators have determined that the injuries are from an assault that occurred at about 4:15 a.m.
This is an active investigation and further information will be released as appropriate. Anyone who has information about this crime should contact Sr. Detective Ron Harpham at 707-441-4305 or rharpham@ci.eureka.ca.gov
This article appears in BLACKOUT.
I am so grateful for the had work of Sr.Detective Ron Harpham, and everyone else involved in apprehending this man. My cousin didn’t deaerve to die like this. He was a kind, and gentle man, who was an amazing musician. He will be missed.
My deepest apologies go out to you and your family. I am Connor’s uncle. My wife Teresa and I were trying to help him. He had a couple of visits to the Moccasin Bend Mental Health Hospital in Chattanooga Tn. (423)265 2271 due to mental issues. But they allowed him to release himself after only 72 hours. My name is Randy Whited and if I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me at (615)260-2507.
My name is Randy Whited, the uncle of Connor. Please accept my most sincere apologies. I did want to let you know that Connor has deep seated mental issues that we ( my wife Teresa and I), have tried several times to get him help. He was sent to Moccasin Bend Mental health in Chattanooga Tn.on a couple of different occasions, due to his mental problems. Moccasin Bend allowed Connor to release himself, after only 72 hours. If there is any information that I can help with, please don’t hesitate to contact me at (615)260-2507 daytime.