Murder suspect arrested after Berkeley woman's death

Berkeley police arrested a suspect Tuesday morning following a homicide investigation that began over the weekend, according to police and public records.

Damarcus David Jones, 28, was arrested on suspicion of murder, according to booking records.

Police arrested him on a warrant at 9:30 a.m. He was booked into jail at 8:15 p.m. His city of residence was not immediately available.

The Scanner is the first to report this news.

Saturday's case was Berkeley's first homicide since January 2025.

Concerned friends raised the alarm when they could not reach the 37-year-old woman this past week, authorities said.

Tuesday, BPD did not respond to inquiries about several welfare and security checks on the block since Friday.

Police also have not said how the woman died.

The coroner's office said it could not share information about her due to a press hold by Berkeley police.

Berkeley homicide: "You don't know what happened"

One longtime neighbor told The Scanner that the woman who died was new to the building and "very quiet."

Speaking on condition of anonymity, she said there hadn't been anything like the recent police activity in the building before.

She said neighbors hope to learn more.

"It's scary now — because you don't know what happened," she said.

The woman said she was not home Saturday when Berkeley police arrived. A neighbor called to let her know something had happened.

She said she hadn't heard suspicious noises in the building (police had asked), but noted it could be hard to hear much inside because of street noise.

The three-story apartment building is bordered to the south by University Avenue, a busy commercial corridor, and to the east and west by the mostly residential California Street and a large parking lot.

Berkeley's Out of the Closet thrift store is kitty-corner across the intersection and a large construction site is to the south, the former home of North Beach Pizza (now on Shattuck Avenue).

Saturday at 11:48 a.m., the building's property manager called 911 after finding the woman's body in one of the units, authorities said previously.

The Berkeley Fire Department pronounced her dead at 1 p.m., according to emergency dispatches reviewed by The Scanner.

Community members alerted The Scanner after seeing a large emergency response on the block, including police and firefighters.

That afternoon, the coroner's office took custody of the body and police canvassed the area for information and security footage.

As of Tuesday night, Jones was being held without bail at Berkeley Jail.

He is scheduled for arraignment Thursday at 9 a.m.

BPD asks anyone with information to call the Homicide Unit at 510-981-5741.

The Scanner will continue to follow the case.