Johnathon Felipe Higgins, a 16-year-old Caucasian male, was tragically killed on January 27, 2017, in what became a quadruple homicide that deeply affected the Bremerton, Washington community. On that day, emergency services responded to a 911 call reporting violence at a home, but upon arrival, they found the house engulfed in flames. Once the fire was extinguished, the bodies of Johnathon, his friend Hunter Schaap, also 16, and Christale Careaga, 37, were discovered inside.
All three had been shot execution-style.
The horror of the incident was compounded the following day when the remains of John Careaga, 43, Christale's husband, were found in his burned-out pickup truck at a tree farm in Mason County. He had also been shot to death. The Careagas were well-known in the area as the owners of a popular local restaurant, Juanito's Taqueria. The brutal nature of the killings and the deliberate setting of the fires pointed to a targeted and violent attack.
For five years, the case remained a painful open wound for the families and the community as investigators worked to uncover who was responsible. A breakthrough finally came in June 2022, when a task force involving local and federal law enforcement arrested three suspects in connection with the murders. The three men arrested were Danie J. Kelly Jr., Johnny J. Watson, and Robert J. Watson III. They were charged with a range of felonies, including first-degree aggravated murder, first-degree murder, first-degree arson, and first-degree burglary.
Following their arrests, the suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges. Investigators have indicated that they believe members and associates of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club were involved in carrying out the murders. While the arrests brought a sense of progress to the long-standing investigation, the motives behind the killings were still being actively investigated. Law enforcement officials also expressed their belief that other individuals may have been involved and have continued to appeal to the public for any additional information.
