A revolver used in the killing of 34-year-old Dexter Appleby in Emeryville sat unexamined in the Oakland Police Department’s (OPD) custody for nearly two years before investigators connected it to the crime. The silver Colt revolver was seized during a raid at a home on Ney Avenue in Oakland, as part of the investigation into a separate homicide — the November 2023 shooting death of Johnny James Johnson Jr.
The gun, found in the home of 44-year-old James Wheeler, was initially linked to Johnson’s killing, for which Wheeler, a former UPS driver, was arrested and convicted of manslaughter. However, authorities failed to realize the revolver’s potential connection to Appleby’s death, which had occurred six months earlier in May 2023. It wasn’t until June 2025, just a month before Wheeler’s conviction in Johnson’s case, that a breakthrough occurred.
At that point, Wheeler’s family member tipped off police, implicating him in Appleby’s murder. A ballistics technician later confirmed that the revolver matched bullets recovered from the crime scene where Appleby was shot dead on May 26, 2023, near 41st Street and San Pablo Avenue in Emeryville.
This revelation has led to new charges against Wheeler, now facing a murder charge for Appleby’s death. The breakthrough in the investigation came after a surprising twist: Wheeler’s mother called authorities, identifying her son as Appleby’s killer. The defense, however, has contested the validity of the identification, claiming family bias and questioning the reliability of the testimony. Wheeler’s attorney argued that the weapon could have changed hands multiple times before being found at his client’s residence.
The homicide investigation into Appleby’s death had already been complex. Initially, police were unable to link a suspect to the shooting, despite a witness’s claim that someone had been planning to kill Appleby. Appleby, who was familiar to law enforcement, reportedly had ties to local gangs, which further complicated the case. While police initially identified a potential suspect, they later discovered that phone records exonerated him.
Despite the defense’s attempts to dismiss the evidence as unreliable, Judge Clifford Blakely ruled that there was enough probable cause to proceed with the murder charge against Wheeler. The judge pointed out that the discovery of the weapon at Wheeler’s home, along with the testimony from his mother, helped to corroborate the identification of Wheeler as the suspect.
This case highlights the ongoing challenges that law enforcement faces in solving complex homicide investigations. Although it took two years for the connection to be made, the case now stands as a reminder of the persistence required to uncover the truth. Wheeler’s trial will likely continue to unfold with a focus on the new evidence that has emerged in the wake of the unexpected breakthrough.
