Double Murder Suspect Arrested in Iowa, Awaits Extradition

On Sept. 16, 2021, U.S. Marshals Southern District of Iowa Fugitive Task Force and Long Beach Police Department Homicide Detectives coordinated the arrest of Joshua Wells, a 29-year-old resident of Long Beach.

Wells was arrested near a family member’s residence in Windsor Heights, Iowa, and was booked for the Sept. 4, 2021 murders of Maricela Honorato and Juan Guizar-Gutierrez.

On Sept. 14, 2021, detectives presented their case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, resulting in an arrest warrant for two counts of murder. Detectives gathered evidence revealing that Wells was responsible for the shooting death of the victims.

On Sept. 16, 2021, two search warrants were served, one in the 900 block of Loma Vista Drive and one in the 8100 block of Harbach Boulevard in Clive, Iowa. Both search warrant services resulted in the discovery of evidence which linked the suspect to the crimes.

Detectives believe the motive for the shooting was related to an earlier altercation that occurred in the area and do not believe the victims were known to Wells prior to Sept. 4, 2021. While there is no evidence that this crime stemmed from a potential road rage incident, detectives will not rule out the possibility.

With the assistance of the U.S. Marshalls, Wells will be extradited from Windsor Heights, Iowa to Long Beach, California. He is currently being held on $6,065,000 bail.

The Long Beach Police Department would like to thank our partners, the U.S. Marshals, for their assistance in apprehending Wells.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to contact Homicide Detectives Ethan Shear, Jose Rodriguez, or Michael Hutchinson at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips may be submitted through “LA Crime Stoppers” by calling 800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the “P3 Tips” app to your smartphone (available at the Apple app store or Google Play), or by visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org.