A Boulder Creek man was arrested Sunday for the double murder of two men in the Santa Cruz Mountains a month ago.
California Highway Patrol detectives today announced the arrest of 66-year-old James David Collier at 6:27am Sunday at his home on Bear Creek Canyon Road in Santa Cruz Countyy, executing an arrest warrant filed by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
The arrests followed a month-long investigation by the California Highway Patrol, after bodies of two men – Colter White, 53, and Sean Pfeffer, 45, both of Boulder Creek – were found in the back of a pickup truck along Highway 35 in the Santa Cruz mountains on March 24.
One of the murder victims, Pfeffer, had left a chilling message on Facebook one day before his body was found, identifying the man who would be arrested for his murder.
In the post, Pfeffer said that he was going to see Collier to settle some kind of dispute. Four days before that, Pfeffer had updated his Facebook profile photo.
At 2:10pm on March 23, Pfeffer wrote on his Facebook page, “If today isn't work out know that it was James Collier, the piece of crap that I invited to this mountain that still hasn't left it and is working the f*** out of my f****** cousin. I'm rolling down there right now Jimmy, I hope you shoot me.”
It was Pfeffer’s last social media post.
CHP officers assigned to the San Jose Area who were dispatched on that day to a report of the discovery of the bodies by a passing motorist found the bodies of two men in the bed of the pickup truck, both having suffered from gunshot wounds.
Detectives assigned to the CHP’s Golden Gate Division Special Investigations Unit in Vallejo assumed primary investigative responsibility for the case. Crime scene investigators from the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the scene to assist detectives in evidence collection.
In a March 26 report, the Santa Clara County coroner officially classified the incident as a double homicide. Pfeffer was killed by a “gunshot wound of the left chest,” while White was killed by “gunshot wounds of torso and left upper and lower extremities,” according to medical examiner records.
Investigators have not said when or where the two men were shot and killed.
During their investigation, detectives identified Collier as a suspect in the murders.
On April 9, a CHP SWAT team joined detectives and crime scene investigators from the Golden Gate Division Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation Team and the Santa
Clara County District Attorney’s Office served a search warrant at a residence in Santa Cruz County they said was associated with Collier.
Detectives said that evidence obtained in the search led to a criminal complaint by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. An arrest warrant was issued and led to Collier’s arrest at dawn on April 27.
Detectives, with the assistance of a CHP Special Weapons and Tactics team, arrested Collier without incident and subsequently booked him into the Santa Clara County Jail.
“I want to commend our detectives for their incredible dedication and exceptional investigative efforts in bringing a suspect into custody in this tragic case,” said CHP Golden Gate Division Chief Don Goodbrand. “The successful outcome would not have been possible without the outstanding partnership of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. We are grateful for their collaboration and unwavering commitment to justice.”
“This case highlights the strength of our law enforcement partnerships in protecting our community, especially in the rural areas of our county where jurisdictions overlap,” said Santa Clara County Sheriff Robert Jonsen. “We are grateful for the collaboration that led to the capture of the suspect and for helping ensure the safety of our residents.”
“You may think the CHP simply patrols the highways, looking for speeders,” said Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen. “My office would not be prosecuting this double murder without the excellent detective work by the CHP.”
At a weekend vigil at the mountain crime scene, Janelle Sanford, who described herself as a friend of White’s, told a KTVU-TV reporter that Pfeffer and White were friends.
“It seems like he just got Colter caught up in things that he shouldn’t have been,” she speculated. She said Pfeffer “had problems with people and he wanted Colter to come be his muscle and back him up.”
The CHP has declined comment on Pfeffer's fateful Facebook post.
