Suspects Charged in Slaying of Couple

Two suspects have been charged with the drug-related killing of a Jamul couple, who were shot numerous times, and the wounding of their 3-year-old son, who was shot once in the head, sheriff’s investigators said.

Ralph Michael Varela, 39, and Jaime A. Hoyos, 34, were arrested in the deaths of Daniel Magoon and Mary Magoon, who were shot and killed in their secluded home in the 3500 block of Steele Canyon Road. Their bullet-riddled bodies were found Wednesday at 8 a.m.

Varela, of El Cajon, and Hoyos, a Tijuana resident, were charged with the slayings on Friday. Sheriff’s investigators said they found evidence of drug activity at the Magoons’ home and believe the killings were drug-related.

Officials said the suspects were already in custody in an unrelated matter when they were charged with killing Daniel Magoon, 51, and Mary Magoon, 32, and the attempted murder of Jeremy Magoon, 3. The youth suffered a grazing wound to the head and is recovering at a local hospital.

San Diego County sheriff’s detectives said the suspects were arrested by El Cajon police at 12:34 a.m., Wednesday, about eight hours before the Magoons’ bodies were discovered, following a routine traffic stop. El Cajon Police officer Bill Pettus stopped the pair because the car they were driving had faulty light equipment.

Pettus ended up arresting Varela and Hoyos when he found a loaded 9-mm handgun, 36 pounds of marijuana and a small quantity of methamphetamine in their vehicle.

According to a report by El Cajon police, the men were in a Toyota Corolla when Pettus stopped the car at the 400 block of North First Street shortly after midnight Wednesday. Initially, Pettus was going to cite the driver, Varela, for driving a car with faulty lighting and allow both men to continue on their way.

However, a search of the vehicle led to the seizure of the drugs and handgun and the suspects were taken into custody, charged with illegal possession of a firearm and narcotics.

On Friday afternoon, El Cajon police officials notified sheriff’s investigators of the arrests and suggested that Varela and Hoyos may be linked to the shootings. Sheriff’s investigators compared evidence recovered at the crime scene to that confiscated by Pettus and charged both men with the slayings.

Homicide detectives refused to provide additional details about the slayings. But a report released Friday by Sheriff’s Lt. John Tenwolde said investigators are convinced that “Varela and Hoyos participated in the killings of (the Magoons) and the wounding of Jeremy Magoon.”

The bodies were discovered when a second Magoon son, Daniel II, 7, was found wandering along Steele Canyon Road Wednesday morning. The distraught boy told a jogger that his family had been killed.

When sheriff’s deputies arrived at the house, they found Mary Magoon on the floor of the guest bathroom and Daniel Magoon on the kitchen floor. Young Jeremy Magoon was found lying on a futon in the living room.

Investigators have not determined where the older boy was between the time of the slayings and when he was found walking on the road.

Daniel Magoon, an unemployed construction worker, had a history of drug arrests, including a 1975 conviction for marijuana smuggling. However, his record appeared to be clean during the past 17 years.