Fugitive Caught By FBI Charged In 2004 Pleasant Hill Killing

PLEASANT HILL, CA — A 39-year-old fugitive who was arrested in Stockton by the FBI has been charged with murder in connection with a 2004 death in Pleasant Hill. Merlin Fidler was shot in his apartment at 141 Golf Club Road around 1 a.m. on May 10, 2004, as he tried to wrestle a gun away from the shooter.

Police said at the time that two men had entered his apartment through an unlocked door and demanded marijuana. Investigators found what they called a "substantial amount" of the then-illegal substance at the crime scene.

Tyson Moorehead has been charged with murder with special allegations that the crime was committed for financial gain and that it took place during the course of a robbery and burglary.

He's also been charged with two counts of first-degree residential robbery and one count of first degree residential robbery — all of which are felonies, according to a criminal complaint dated Nov. 6.

Prosecutors said he appeared in a Contra Costa County courtroom for arraignment Wednesday morning, but an update on the outcome of that proceeding was not immediately available in the afternoon.

— Bay City News Service