DNA leads to arrest in 1999 slaying

CHULA VISTA A Lancaster man was arrested on suspicion of murder Friday after DNA linked him to the 1999 slaying of a Chula Vista business owner.

U.S. Marshals Service deputies picked up Joe Mora, 32, in the Los Angeles area, police Lt. Lon Turner said.

Sergio Morales was shot to death in the doorway of his Chula Vista home on Paseo Burga near North Rancho Del Ray Parkway shortly before 7 p.m. on Nov. 28, 1999.

Morales, 54, had opened the door for a woman who told him her cat was in his backyard.

Morales was shot during a struggle as he tried to close the door on the woman and a man who had suddenly appeared. Investigators suspected it was botched a home-invasion robbery.

DNA evidence left at the scene was entered into a law enforcement database in 2002, Turner said. In 2009, investigators got a break when Moras DNA was entered into the database following a domestic violence conviction.

The DNA link to the cold case led to further investigation, including questioning acquaintances and potential witnesses, and eventually to Moras arrest.

Fortunately for the (Morales) family, there is another chapter to be written in this very sad incident, Turner said.

Morales had owned S & C Furniture and the adjoining Santa Fe Meats on Main Street. There is no evidence that Morales knew Mora, Turner said.

Authorities are still hoping to track down the woman who was with the killer during the attack. Anyone with information about the case was asked to call Turner at (619) 585-5670.

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DNA leads to arrest in 1999 slaying