Arthur Kenneth Hennesay, a 43-year-old El Centro Police Department officer, was killed on May 3, 1977, while responding to what began as a routine complaint about a stuck car horn in a motel parking lot at 1555 West Adams Avenue. Officer John Vickers was also shot during the response; Vickers suffered three gunshot wounds while searching for the vehicle’s owner, and Hennesay was shot through his windshield after arriving at the scene. A 22-year-old man was arrested at the scene; a 24-year-old man and his 17-year-old wife fled but were later taken into custody at a nearby motel. Investigators linked the ambush to another crime: the parents of the first suspect, who managed a San Diego motel, were found shot to death about three hours later, and the car with the stuck horn belonged to them.

The three suspects were charged with four counts of murder. The 22-year-old was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison; he was denied parole in June 2022, with a next hearing set for June 2027. The other male suspect, a parolee, was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder and received a 10 years to life sentence.

Does anyone have information about the motel or the people involved that could add detail to this case?