Hoopa Missing Person Case Determined Homicide, 18-year-old Suspect Sought
This is a press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. The information has not been proven in a court of law and any individuals described should be presumed innocent until proven guilty:
18-year-old Bronson Moon Lewis Jr.
The Humboldt County Coroner’s Office has identified human remains recovered on August 20, 2020, as that of missing person Julius Barthel Tripp.
Tripp, age 42 of Hoopa, was reported missing to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office on July 26, 2020.
A vehicle associated with Tripp was reportedly located on Highway 96 near Milepost Marker 18.10 by the California Highway Patrol and the Hoopa Valley Tribal Police Department on July 24. The agencies requested the assistance of the Sheriff’s Office after searching the surrounding area for Tripp with no results.
Through further investigation into this case, sheriff’s deputies determined Tripp’s disappearance to be suspicious.
On August 20, 2020, human remains were located in the area of Highway 96 between Hoopa and Weitchpec. The decedent was later positively identified as Tripp. A cause of death determination for Tripp is pending a forensic examination of his remains. However, based upon the investigation thus far, deputies determined Tripp’s manner of death to be homicide and have identified a primary suspect as 18-year-old Bronson Moon Lewis Jr.
A warrant has been issued for Lewis Jr.’s arrest on charges of murder (PC 187). Lewis Jr. is described as a Native American male, approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall, 120 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes.
Anyone with information regarding Lewis Jr.’s whereabouts should contact the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.
Bronson Moon Lewis Jr.
Earlier Chapter: Local Man Missing Since His Vehicle Crashed Last Friday
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I knew it seemed suspicious at the time they found his truck. Unfortunately I was correct. This is very sad. I hope they catch the perp quickly and give him the punishment he deserves.
Unfortunately, another Moon added to the criminal list.
Unfortunately you speak before you think because this guy’s last name is clearly Lewis.
The guy being charged is named Moon. Someone’s not thinking before they speak, but its not that guy😂
My condolences to the family. I know there were a lot of people that loved him.
Maybe not his first rodeo.
Hopefully they corral him before anybody else goes missing.
Hwy 96 is becoming the Bermuda Triangle of Humboldt.
Always was. Until the pot growers infiltrated the rest of the county. But nothing’s changed there in over150 years there except there’s less trees and fish and the rivers are all dammed and dying.
*sigh* you people dont know jack! How would you like to hear or in this case read all kinds of nasty remarks about your home town! I was born and raised on ancestral land i love our home forever dont need haters who dont live here talking out of their asses about my home! All highways are dangerous in more ways than one
The comments saying oh another Moon, or probably not his first rodeo, that is ridiculous. Its horrifying that Jules was murdered, and if he was murdered by an 18 year old kid that makes it even more so. Blaming entire families with the same last name is so very ignorant and just uncalled for. Jules was murdered, his family has to deal with that fact and it’s a near impossible task. Adding insults and accusations to the fire is not helpful. It’s a sad situation on all fronts. To take a life before yours even had a chance to start is incomprehensible. Sending peaceful and healing thoughts to the families of all involved, and all who are affected by this tragedy in the river communities. Condolences to the family of Jules Tripp.
If the family didn’t raise a bunch of dirtbags, there really wouldn’t be anything to talk about, right? It’s always the same families doing the same old stupid shit. Read a book, Moon.
maybe reply with your first name so we know who’s behind a phone screen?
No Freddy something there would still be to talk about is how the guy’s last name is clearly Lewis, not Moon.
I’m very sorry Mr Tripp is gone. His family has a lot of grief to deal with.
Want to point out just because HCSO believes it’s murder doesn’t mean it is. And just because HCSO thinks Mr Lewis committed murder doesn’t mean he did.
Ok
No one wins here folks !!!!! Blaming the last name As A Whole is wrong . Unfortunately we don’t know the details or even know what happened. So before you do the blame , how about sit back and watch the details that will come forth .. Law enforcement has to deal with this all the time . My hopes is for the families find comfort , no it won’t bring Mr Tripp back and the other family dealing with the possibility Mr Moon did it
That’s at least three suspicious deaths and/or disappearances in 5 months including the one yesterday in the area between Hoopa and Weitchpec.
Two of which happened within a month, and within 16 miles of each other.
Something is definitely not right.
I’m a firm believer in the presumption of innocence until proof of guilt.
So I guess what I meant was it was probably not whomever is responsible’s first rodeo, and maybe not their last.
I regret if I seemed to imply it was
Mr. Moon, necessarily, that was responsible, because that certainly is not the truth.
I regret the error, and offer my apologies to Mr. Moon and his family.
And to anyone else I may have offended.
I am sorry.
It was not my intention.
I should have worded my response differently.
There just seems to be a recurring theme, and I hope it stops.
Semi sleuth, I appreciate your rewording your statement. That took heart and courage.
That is alarming if there have been 3 deaths in the last 5 months along that stretch of road. Is it within Tribal Police jurisdiction? They might do a better job than HCSO figuring it out
I will never forget as a child watching the Native American show at the Humboldt County Fair every year and I believe one of them was a Moon. The good that people do doesn’t always get publicized.
OMG…the suspect is a Lewis, not a Moon.
His name is Bronson Lewis.
Oh Dear, My bad,
My apologies to Mr. Lewis, etc.
Emphasis on the Semi in Semi Sleuth.
When my son was little he used to have to wrestle against this young man. I dreaded every match he had with him. Now mind you these kids were in kindergarten/1st grade at the time. Mr. Lewis Jr. here was a force to be reckoned with. However that us not why I dreaded my son having matches against him, it was more the dull ache I got in the pit of my stomach having to watch Bronson Lewis Sr. coach and push his son from the sidelines. Something just was not right. This Dad would get all worked up and was very aggressive in his approach. Made me very uneasy. Next thing I know they have moved to the same town as us and Jr. in my son’s class at school. At this point my kid was over the whole wrestling thing anyway. Then I read that Sr. was arrested for Domestic Violence a few times. Next thing I know they have left town. Thing is I never forgot the name and that something just was not right with that family. Not placing blame but I imagine growing up with a father like that it isn’t too hard to see the kid would end up with his own anger issues. I too believe in innocent until proven guilty and it is very sad if in fact the young Mr. Lewis here is guilty.
This is very tragic condolences to tripps family but y’all ignorant for speaking on the whole family’s name ive known this family since I was a baby and to see this is very tragic because Bronson was like a bro to me and to see this just hurts my heart💔
On behalf of my brother Julius b. Tripp and family I need to say thank you to all caring friends n family and all other concerned human beings. The world is filled with good and what feels like more n more bad. I have to remember I am not the judge. I pray that we all pray for strength courage and wisdom and have peace within knowing karma does take it’s course.
We are sad. We will miss our beautiful Julius but he can now soar free and find love n peace we r yet to have on earth. Pity to the guilty one(s). Time does tell.
Our hearts go out to those with still missing love ones and pray the results are so much more positive than ours.
To others please work together to protect any future cases the best you can. If you think they are missing report IMMEDIATELY AS MISSING AND ENDANGERED AND PUSH PUSH PUSH FOR IMMEDIATE ACTIONS STATE/NATION WIDE WITH ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS UNTIL THEY ARE LOCATED!!!!!! SHOULD ANY LAW ENFORCEMENT PROVE TO BE PART OF THE PROBLEM RATHER THAN SOLUTION DEAL WITH IT PLEASE.
JULIUS YOUR MUSIC WILL PLAY ON IN OUR HEARTS FOREVER.
GOD BLESS
Sorry for your loss .Your brother was a friend of mine and I have to say that this disturbs me to no means that this happened to him .Sorry again and wish you and your family the best.
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Thank you Ang(my daughter)and thank you to all that hung in there with us. Thank you for all the help
Everybody put into finding him.
Also its not the name that did it, its the person…
Well said.
I think everyone is missing what has happened here ,there were 5 teens some 18 some not all riding around intoxicated on something or multi-intoxicated looking for trouble ,now the driver who instigated the whole ordeal decides to pull over and ram a truck they thought was abandoned between Hoopa and weitchpec where Julius Tripp was sleeping so of course he emerged from the truck angry but did these teens just leave and be on their way?No no and No they instigated each other into attacking and killing Julius for no reason that can justify their actions.Now the driver who started the whole thing snitched out his friends practically lied about the whole scene to get out of trouble of course and is still walking free,but what the police don’t know is the gun they used to finish him off came from that drivers home so he clearly knew and participated in this murder so why is he free? I really don’t understand how the so called justice sytem has gone so terribly wrong but it has once again.So hopefully we will get to see some form of justice served to all that were present during this awful murder,and one disturbing fact above all is that not one of the 5 who were there said “Stop”and they hid the truth for a month after while his friends and family searched for this man isn’t that a crime punishable by itself? Well I say yes it is and that it’s not okay and it’s not gonna go away ever.
Yeah remember that road connects with a lot of other roads how many roads did these guys cruise down and maybe murder innocent people that’s what you should be looking at not last names we could last place they were last car they drove