Police believe he was murdered and expect to make arrests
PASO ROBLES — At a press conference Friday afternoon, Paso Robles Police Department Police Chief Ty Lewis announced that human remains found June 18 at a home in the City of Riverside are believed to be Trevon Perry.
“We were able to perform an autopsy and match physical characteristics to Trevon,” Lewis said. “Although at this time, we are waiting on additional physical evidence such as DNA testing to make a final confirmation. We feel confident at this point in time that the remains we located are Trevon’s.”
Perry, 28, was reported missing on March 16. Lewis extended his condolences to Perry’s family. Perry’s family did not attend the press conference, but Lewis said he’d contacted the family to inform them of their discovery in Riverside.
“I want Trevon’s family to know that the Paso Robles Police Department and the community here in Paso Robles share your pain,” Lewis said. “We are sad that we were not able to bring Trevon home, alive and well, like we all hoped.
“We promise to continue to putting all of our effort and our resources into bringing Trevon’s murders to justice and bring closure to you and the community,” he added.
Due to this being an active investigation, Lewis was not able to provide details on Perry’s disappearance or death but said they have suspects and that arrests were coming.
“As mentioned, this investigation has been complex and is ongoing,” Lewis said. “I’m only able to provide limited details as we don’t want to comprise what we have going as the investigation continues.”
Perry was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, black jeans and possibly a black sweatshirt with a black baseball hat. He was seen by his family leaving his residence with friends. Those same friends claim he left another residence on foot after attending a small get-together.
Since mid-March, a team of Paso Robles investigators and detectives have been following up on clues and tips from the community regarding Perry’s disappearance.
PRPD solicited assistance from the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office. This increased their manpower significantly, and “as of today over 20 investigators were assigned, working around the clock trying to locate Trevon,” Lewis said. “We have interviewed dozens of people through the course of the investigation and written dozens of search warrants trying to locate Trevon.”
The investigations led to multiple jurisdictions within California and Nevada. Lewis thanked the following agencies for their support — Riverside County Sheriff, San Bernardino County Sheriff, San Luis Obispo County Sheriff, and the men and women of the department of justice labs in Richmond, Goleta, Watsonville and Riverside.
In December of 2019, Perry testified for SLO County District Attorney’s Office prosecutors at the preliminary hearing of murder suspect Kejuan Guy Bynum. Bynum is suspected of stabbing 23-year-old Cristopher Vento Wilson on June 1, 2019, during a fight in Shandon.
At the end of the preliminary hearing, SLO County Superior Court Judge Craig Van Rooyen ruled there was sufficient evidence for Bynum to be tried for Wilson’s murder. But before a trial date was set, Perry was reported missing.
SLO County DA Dan Dow was at the press conference and said Perry’s testimony could still be used.
“There is a method in a criminal procedure that allows for as long as the person’s prior testimony was given under oath, and they had the opportunity to be cross-examined by a defense lawyer,” Dow said. “There is certainly a method that we will be using to use that evidence during the murder trial.”
Dow also thanked law enforcement for their effort and promised to find the people responsible for Perry’s death and bring them to justice.
“This is a sad outcome today that we are not announcing that he was found alive,” Dow said. “But it is a testament to the hard-working commitment of our community, of our agencies together in San Luis Obispo that work every day to make sure that our communities are safe and justice is attained.
“And neither Chief Lewis and his team nor my office will get any rest until we bring justice for Trevon Perry,” Dow added.
