Cold Case: 2004 Pleasant Hill Homicide Suspect Arrested in Stockton

The Pleasant Hill Police Department announced Wednesday that an arrest has been made in a 2004 cold case after Tyson Moorehead was arrested on Nov. 12

According to Police:

In May 2004, Michael Merlin Fidler (9-4-78) was shot and killed in his apartment on Golf Club Rd. in Pleasant Hill, CA, during a home invasion robbery over marijuana. The case went unsolved until April 2008, when Tyson Moorehead (2-24-80) and his accomplice Kenneth York (11-28-1982) were identified as suspects.

York was arrested in August 2008, and later convicted of homicide in this case. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He had been housed in the California State Prison facilities, but is presently in custody at the Martinez Detention Facility awaiting a new trial after successfully appealing his 2010 conviction.

A cold case investigation led to the arrest of Moorehead on Tuesday, November 12th, 2019. Until this time he had successfully avoided apprehension for this crime. Mr. Moorehead’s apprehension was the result of an outstanding collaborative effort between the Pleasant Hill Police Department, The Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigations Safe Streets Task Force and the Stockton Police Department.

Regarding this investigation, Contra Costa County District Attorney, Diana Becton commented, “I want to express my gratitude for my team’s efforts leading Operation Hide and Seek with the FBI Safe Streets Task Force to capture Tyson Moorehead. Our officers assigned to the Task Force worked tirelessly to apprehend the defendant. Our team’s efforts make our community safer. The collaboration between the Task Force, Stockton PD and Pleasant Hill PD was commendable and underscores the importance of all of our agencies working together.”

Mr. Moorehead was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility and has been charged with homicide (187 PC) and robbery (211 PC).