This week’s Kent Police ‘Top Cop’ honors has been awarded to several detectives who “doggedly pursued every lead no matter how small to arrest a homicide suspect”:
On Jan. 7, 2021 Kent Police were dispatched to the sounds of an illegal discharge in an apartment complex in the Kent valley. Upon arrival they discovered 41-year-old man Jovan Satterwhite deceased in his vehicle. Mr. Satterwhite had an obvious gunshot wound to his head.
There were no immediate suspects apparent, and no obvious signs of a dispute or known witnesses to the murder. Officers and Detectives immediately began to canvas the area for any video, witnesses, or evidence.
This week, after hundreds of hours of intense investigation that included locating and interviewing dozens of witnesses, analyzing hundreds of pieces of evidence, and reviewing hundreds of hours of video for the smallest of clues, our Detective unit was able to identify and arrest the suspect.
The adult male suspect has been charged with Murder 2.
These types of cases are particularly difficult. They require a great deal of expertise to know what to look for during the investigation. They depend upon a lot of collaboration with other departments and outside entities, and lots of commitment to wade through an enormous amount of data. But they are worth it when the suspect goes to jail.
Our lead detective on this case, Detective Meyer, wants to make sure that everyone who helped bring it to conclusion is recognized, but due to nature of some of their assignments, that is not possible.
So for today, please thank Top Cops Detectives Meyer, Wilson & Dvorak, and all the persons inside and outside our department who greatly assisted them in providing justice for Mr. Satterwhite’s family.