Santa Cruz Murder: Teen Arrested In Texas

SANTA CRUZ, CA — A 16-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the killing of Daniel Worth Hartley, 37.

The teen has not been named because he is a minor, Santa Cruz police said in a statement. He faces a homicide charge. The possible motive remains under investigation, police said.

Police made the arrest after receiving a tip about the teen, who was in Harris County in Texas at the time of his arrest. Detectives investigated and obtained a warrant to arrest him. He was taken into custody thanks to help from the Harris County Sheriff's Office, police said.

Hartley was a Pennsylvania native who was found dead early on the morning of Saturday, January 17 in the 700 block of Emeline Ave. in Santa Cruz. He was the city's first murder victim of 2021 and suffered blunt-force trauma to his head, police said.

Hartley is believed to have been unhoused and had lived in Santa Cruz since 2019.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact investigators at 831-420-5820.