ELYRIA — A Spencer man was arrested late Sunday in Salinas, Calif., on an aggravated murder warrant that accuses him of killing Alberto Gutierrez on Thanksgiving Day.

The body of Gutierrez, known as “Cookie,” was found in a ditch along Pratt Road in Huntington Township by a passing motorist. Gutierrez had been shot once in the side and police believe he had been for several hours before he was found.

Lorain County sheriff’s Sgt. Don Barker said that the investigation showed that Gutierrez likely was shot in or near a vehicle stopped where the 46-year-old’s body was found.

But Barker said the gun and bullet that killed Gutierrez have never been found and police are still trying to figure out the motive behind the shooting.

“That’s one of the things we’re still looking for is the why,” he said.

Deputies tracked 42-year-old Patrick Griffin to California after learning that Griffin had paid cash for a ticket to California and that his wife, Ronaye Ewing, had purchased his return ticket with her credit card.

Ewing, 36, had told deputies that Griffin had gone to Arkansas to visit his mother.

Deputies learned that Ewing’s mother lived in California and told police in Salinas that Griffin may show up there. Salinas police officers spent several days doing surveillance before spotting him and arresting him without incident.

When he was arrested, Griffin was with Ewing, who had posted bond last week after being indicted on obstructing justice and falsification charges for allegedly lying to deputies about what she knew about Gutierrez’s death.

Barker said both she and Griffin had lied about their whereabouts.

A third person, 55-year-old Lee Walker of Cleveland, also is facing charges of obstructing justice, falsification and failure to register a change of address for allegedly lying to deputies about where he lives. Barker said Walker, a convicted sex offender, was with Griffin and Ewing when they were interviewed by detectives.

Both Walker and Ewing have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.

He said the investigation is continuing and that Walker remains a person of interest for his possible role in Gutierrez’s death.

Barker and county Prosecutor Dennis Will declined to offer specifics of what evidence tied Griffin to the shooting.
“What we basically did was run down the evidence,” Will said.

Griffin, who is also facing charges of felonious assault and having weapons under disability, has an extensive criminal record.

Barker said Griffin was twice convicted in Summit County in two other shootings. He also has a prior drug trafficking conviction in Lorain County and pending drug and DUI charges as well, according to court records.
Griffin is being held in the Monterey County jail awaiting extradition to Ohio.

Contact Brad Dicken at 329-7147 or bdicken@chroniclet.com.

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