Man Arrested in Carpinteria for 1990 San Francisco Murder
James Francis Edwards, 71, Is Pending Transfer Back to the Bay Area
On November 5, 1990, at approximately 6:25 a.m., San Francisco police responded to an argument that escalated to a shooting in the 200 block of Potrero Avenue. There, officers found a 46-year-old victim, Lamar Vaughn, who would later die at the hospital. Detectives identified the suspect as James Francis Edwards, who was 40 years old at the time. Police obtained an arrest warrant for murder, but Edwards fled the Bay Area. Authorities believed he’d also fled the state.
Fast-forward 31 years, and on March 17, 2021, at around 3:30 p.m., Santa Barbara Sheriff’s deputies conducted a welfare check on another individual in the 1000 block of Casitas Pass Road in Carpinteria. At the property, the deputies made contact with 71-year-old Edwards and, after running a records check, determined he was wanted for murder. He was booked in County Jail pending transfer up to San Francisco.
“We would like to thank the members of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in locating and apprehending Edwards and helping return him to San Francisco where he will be held to answer for the criminal charges,” said the San Francisco Police Department in a press statement.
