02-08-2025
New witness leads to arrests in 2003 fatal shooting tied to Arlington nightclub fight, police say
Two men have been arrested in connection with the 2003 fatal shooting of a man found in a bullet-riddled truck after an altercation at an Arlington nightclub, police said.
Authorities arrested John Wayne Biddle, 52, on Thursday and Raymond Malone, 55, on Friday on murder charges. Both were taken into custody in Fort Worth and are being held at the Tarrant County Jail, according to the Arlington Police Department.
Police say Terrick Rutherford was shot and killed on June 23, 2003, after being confronted by a group of men at a nightclub in the 700 block of North Watson Road.
The confrontation between Rutherford and the group escalated into a fight in the nightclub parking lot. Security broke up the altercation, and Rutherford left the scene, driving northbound on North Watson Road.
As he approached the traffic light at Six Flags Drive, multiple shots were fired at his vehicle. Rutherford was struck by gunfire and collided with another vehicle at the intersection. A relative, following in a separate car, witnessed the shooting, police said.
Later, officers responded to the intersection of Randol Mill Road and Web Street, where they found Rutherford in a pickup truck riddled with bullet holes. His relative had attempted to drive him to the hospital. Rutherford was unresponsive and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to police.
Malone and Biddle, identified by police as documented gang members, were named as suspects at the time but weren't charged due to a lack of evidence. Both were previously arrested for engaging in organized criminal activity but were later "no billed," meaning a grand jury declined to indict them on the charges, police said.
According to police, a new witness came forward in July with information that aligned with the original investigation. Detectives re-interviewed witnesses from the 2003 case and corroborated the new details. After consulting with the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office, investigators obtained murder warrants for Malone and Biddle.
"When someone does the right thing and comes forward with information, that can be the difference between solving a case and it remaining unsolved," Arlington Police Chief Al Jones said in a news release. "I'm grateful these new details came to light. I'm proud of our current detectives for tenaciously pursuing these new leads and following up on the outstanding investigation the original detectives did on this case to put two suspected killers behind bars."
Members of the U.S. Marshals North Texas Fugitive Task Force participated in the arrests of the two men.
