Man charged with murder in 2008 SF shooting of groom day before his wedding, prosecutors say

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Nearly two decades after a San Francisco man was fatally shot the day before his wedding, prosecutors have charged a suspect in the case, authorities announced Thursday.

Jason Mosley was killed in 2008 after being shot in the parking lot of his mother's apartment complex in San Francisco. On Thursday, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said a suspect had been charged in connection with the killing.

"This is huge. You talk about a family that has been waiting almost two decades to feel a chance at justice. And now we can finally move forward with this case," Jenkins said.

At the time of his death, Mosley's mother, Selina Arceneaux, said her son was not involved in any gang activity and worked for a nonprofit organization in the city.

RELATED: SFPD arrests suspect in cold case killing of man shot on eve of his wedding in 2008

"He was just a good kid. He was a good boy," Arceneaux said in 2008.

Arceneaux also shared what she described as her son's final act of kindness before he was killed.

"He had just distributed candy to the little children an hour before he was murdered," she said.

Arceneaux died in 2014. Mosley's fiancée was pregnant when he was killed, and his son, now 18 years old, never met his father.

Jenkins credited investigators with continuing to pursue the case and pointed to advances in DNA technology that helped lead to the arrest. She said a firearm recovered near the scene was key.

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"Advancements in technology, allowed for DNA testing to be done on the firearm that was recovered near the scene. More recently, that is what really cracked this case open and allowed for this arrest," Jenkins said.

When asked whether new technology made the difference in the case nearly two decades later, Jenkins said it was an important factor.

"Yes. Really it is. At the time that this happened in 2008, while there was DNA testing, it just wasn't as advanced as it is now. And so more recently, in the last couple of years, they were able to reprocess this DNA, through advanced technology and give us some preliminary results that have allowed for further DNA testing that we're doing now," she said.

According to ABC7's data team, there are approximately 300 cold cases in San Francisco dating back to 1970. Jenkins said the Mosley case will not be the last to benefit from advances in forensic technology.

"I want to give families hope who are still waiting for justice, that advancements in technology, most specifically with DNA, are giving us the chance at being able to file charges, even like I said, almost two decades after the fact. And so, there is hope," Jenkins said.

The suspect could face up to 50 years to life in prison. He is scheduled to return to court Sept. 28 for arraignment. ABC7 contacted the suspect's attorney for comment and had not received a response as of publication.