Police identify victims of live-streamed homicide
(Photo courtesy Solano County District Attorney’s Office, Graphic by Solano NewsNet)
Police have formally identified the two women whose bodies were flaunted on a gruesome social media live stream following their deaths in Vacaville over the weekend.
On Wednesday, the Vacaville Police Department said 26-year-old Savannah Theberge of Utah and a 15-year-old female from Elk Grove were the victims of a double murder allegedly committed by 29-year-old Raymond Weber.
Weber was arrested at a Vacaville apartment after a person tipped off police to the existence of a graphic online video depicting the man leaning over the bodies of the two victims while holding a loaded firearm.
Theberge was previously named by her mother on Sunday. The woman said she feared her daughter was among the dead after viewing a copy of the video and spotting tattoos that matched ones her daughter had.
The 15-year-old girl was only identified by her initials, M.P., in court documents reviewed by Solano NewsNet. Police had previously identified her by age in television news interviews; Wednesday’s statement was the first time the agency revealed her city of residence.
In a complaint filed by the Solano County District Attorney’s Office this week, prosecutors allege Weber committed the murders while raping both women, with the homicides intended to prevent arrest or capture.
Weber did not enter a plea when he made his first court appearance on Tuesday. Instead, he was remanded to the custody of the Solano County Jail while his public defender works through a screening for potential conflicts and other matters, according to court documents.
Before the hearing, his attorney filed a motion with the court seeking to block all media coverage of that proceeding and future ones. In court documents reviewed by Solano NewsNet, Weber’s attorney said the significant media attention brought to his case threatened his right to a fair trial.
“A continuation of media images of the defendant will continue to establish a record of negative pre-trial publicity, insuring that future prospective jurors form a negative opinion about the case and thus precluding a fair trial,” the motion read.
His defense attorney also argued that the countless newspaper articles and television stories on what he allegedly did could jeopardize his safety while he remains in jail.
“Further dissemination of his image in the news media and the printed press will continue to put his safety at risk while incarcerated,” his attorney argued.
The judge denied the motion.
Weber will appear again in court on February 23.
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