More than three years after a body was discovered buried on Sonoma State University’s campus, the wheels of justice are slowly beginning to turn. Dressed in prison garb, chained in shackles, looking thinner than he was the last time he appeared in court, and sporting a goatee that he was physically incapable of growing when he was sent to juvenile prison, Daniel Carrillo appeared in Sonoma County court on Wednesday, March 4, for a hearing where he was officially charged with the murder of Kirk Kimberly.
At the hearing, Carrillo, 20, reportedly learned that he could be tried as an adult for the premeditated crime that occurred in October of 2016 when he was 16 years old. Sources close to the case requesting anonymity told the STAR that investigators have been pressuring Carrillo and his family to provide a confession. As an aura of secrecy surrounds the case, it is unknown if Carrillo confessed or if new evidence gave prosecutors the ammunition needed to make an arrest.
According to Sgt. Jason Fowler, the lead detective on the case, an arrest warrant was secured on Feb. 18. Sgt. Fowler said of the timing, “We knew Carrillo had an upcoming hearing in our county for unrelated charges…and we wanted to interview him.” The specifics of the interview could not be disclosed because the case is an active, ongoing investigation, but when asked about new evidence, Sgt. Fowler said, “We spent hundreds and hundreds of hours on the case, we’ve been in constant communication with the Kimberly family, worked with crime labs and other agencies…we used cell phone data to show that he was at the scene at the same time as the victim.”
If tried and convicted as an adult, Carrillo is facing 25 years to life for a first-degree murder charge.
Kirk Ryan Kimberly, 18, was last seen alive on Oct. 17, 2016, when he left his family home in Cotati. He was not a student at Sonoma State, but his body was discovered by landscapers on Nov. 3, 2016, buried in a shallow grave in a wooded area known as the “badlands” west of the Green Music Center on SSU’s campus.
Evidence suggests that Kimberly was stabbed twice before he was partially buried. Carrillo’s diminutive size and age at the time of the murder suggest that at least one accomplice assisted in the murder and/or cover-up, but as of Monday, March 9, no further suspects have been named by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department. Information and details have been few and far between, as detectives are keeping a lid on the investigation to protect the prosecutor’s case.
Independent investigator and forensic homicide expert Johnny Kerns wrote a detailed expose of the case in his book, “Inherit the Earth: Who Killed Kirk Kimberly,” published in 2018, where he named Daniel Carrillo as the prime suspect. Kerns identified Carrillo after interviewing more than 50 people, evaluating electronic evidence and GPS data, and sifting through social media profiles. Since publishing the book, Kerns has kept the pressure on investigators and the public to provide closure for the Kimberly family.
According to Kerns, Daniel Carrillo and Kirk Kimberly were friends before their relationship soured, and photos of the two skateboarding together were published in Kerns’ book. While details are yet to be revealed, drugs are considered a motive in Kirk’s murder, and friends of Daniel Carrillo acknowledge that he was known as “Xaniel,” thanks to his involvement with Xanax, the notorious anti-anxiety medication.
Carrillo has been in custody since Sept. 2017 on unrelated charges, and California laws restricting publication of juvenile court records prevent the STAR from revealing all the details of his particular case.
Detectives are actively seeking evidence regarding the murder and any accomplices. If you have any information, contact Sgt. Juan Valencia at 707-565-3941.
