Authorities have announced an arrest in the nearly decade-old murder of a Washington Township man.
WOODBURY -- A Philadelphia man has been arrested in the nearly decade-old murder of a Washington Township man, the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office announced today.
"This was good police work," said Gloucester County Prosectuor Sean Dalton. "This was an investigation that started in Washington Township, but also led to Philadelphia. We would not be able to announce this arrest if it wasn't for coordination at all levels of law enforcement. This was a total team effort."
John Blocker, 43, is charged in the 2006 murder of Juan Cuevas in Washington Township, Gloucester County (Philadelphia police). John Blocker, 43, was charged in the beating death of Juan Cuevas, 36, of Saddlebrook Way. Authorities say robbery was the motive when four men forced their way into the home on the afternoon of Jan. 20, 2006. The men tied up Cuevas' three teenaged children as they waited for the victim to arrive home that night.
When Cuevas, the owner of GI June's Auto Parts in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, arrived home, the men took him to an upstairs bedroom and beat him. His body was found on a bed. Cuevas' wife was at work at the time.
Blocker was arrested at his girlfriend's home on 57th Street in Philadelphia at 6:30 a.m. Monday. He was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree felony murder, four counts of kidnapping, second-degree robbery and second-degree burglary. His bail was set at $1 million cash, and he is currently in custody of the Philadelphia police.
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Dalton did not point to any single piece of evidence that implicated Blocker. Rather, he said, it was a matter of "asking the right questions of the right individuals and building upon an investigation." In the last six months, he continued, investigators at every level from the Washington Township Police Department to the Philadelphia office of the FBI had narrowed down a list of suspects. "An accumulation of information" eventually led them to Blocker.
An $8,000 reward had been offered for information on the killers, but Dalton did not say whether it was a single tip that ultimately implicated Blocker. At least three other men involved in the crime are still at large, with the GCPO saying the investigation is ongoing. The agency did say, however, that police did not think Blocker and Cuevas knew each other.
"We're not aware of any relationship between the two, other than a motive of them trying to rob him," said Dalton.
Outside the courthouse, Cuevas' two sisters addressed a crowd of reporters.
"I truly believed that if we really had faith, somebody was going to get arrested," said Cuevas' younger sister, Elizabeth Cuevas. As the oldest of four, she said, Juan had been the one that held the family together.
"Holidays aren't the same. Birthdays aren't the same," she said. But the capture of one of her brother's killers gave her hope. She had gotten a call informing her of the arrest just a couple of hours before it was announced to the public.
"It's a blessing," continued Elizabeth Cuevas, of Philadelphia. "As long as we've got that one person, I know he won't go down by himself."
Her sister, Jessica Delvalle, had stayed in touch with the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office for the past nine years.
"I promised [Juan] I wouldn't stop until we got justice," said Delvalle. She relayed every whisper she heard on the street to Detective Stacie Lick of the GCPO.
"I feel bad about people I blamed. Everyone was a suspect to me. I heard rumors...I never gave up," said Delvalle.
Still, the damage to her family had been done.
"I think money is the root of all evil," she continued. "They don't have the slightest idea of what they did to our family." Cuevas' children, two boys and a girl who are now young adults, were forever changed by the incident, according to Delvalle.
"They're not the same, after all they've been through," she said. "It's a scare they'll have to live with for the rest of their lives."
Rafael Muniz, chief of the Washington Township Police Department, was a lieutenant in charge of investigations when Cuevas was murdered. He said on Monday that the case had stuck with him even as he rose through the ranks of the force.
"It's personal closure," he said. "When you see a crime of this magnitude -- which doesn't happen often in Washington Township -- it brings a sense of satisfaction to have an arrest."
Muniz added that many of the officers with whom he had initially worked on the case have since retired. He made a round of phone calls to all of the officers involved, both retired and active, earlier that day.
"They were as elated as if it happened yesterday," he said.
Andy Polhamus may be reached at apolhamus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ajpolhamus. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.