A preliminary hearing has been set for Jan. 4, 2017 for the accused killer of Leticia Arroyo, 34, who was killed Oct. 4 in her townhome in Santee.
National City Police arrested the suspect, Jose Luis Nunez-Torres, 21, Oct. 16 on an unrelated drug case. He was charged with her murder on Nov. 22 and rebooked into jail without bail.
A preliminary hearing has been set for Jan. 4, 2017 for the accused killer of Leticia Arroyo, 34, who was killed Oct. 4 in her townhome in Santee.
National City Police arrested the suspect, Jose Luis Nunez-Torres, 21, Oct. 16 on an unrelated drug case. He was charged with her murder on Nov. 22 and rebooked into jail without bail.
Arroyo, whose nickname was “Lety,” was found dead in her residence at 8837 Mission Greens Road and her friends and family held a vigil there Oct. 11. Her roommate returned home and called 911 at 10:39 p.m. after finding her deceased.
The sheriff’s department said the autopsy results have been sealed, and the medical examiner ruled it a homicide. Detectives are still looking for a possible second suspect in the case, according to the department.
A murder charge was filed against Nunez-Torres in El Cajon Superior Court and he has pleaded not guilty. He is also charged with burglary, robbery, and driving under the influence of drugs.
Cousin charged in Spring Valley murder case
The cousin of a Spring Valley man who died in a fight with him has been charged with murder.
Kenyan Embry, 37, died in a hospital Oct. 26 after earlier fighting with Andre Blue, 29, in Embry’s apartment at 3557 Kenora Drive. Someone called 911 at 5:28 a.m. and requested an ambulance after Embry had trouble breathing and was in medical distress.
The medical examiner ruled Embry died as a result of homicide, but the cause of death was not disclosed. Blue is also charged with attempted burglary at knifepoint into Embry’s bedroom, according to court records.
A preliminary hearing has been set for Jan. 31, 2017 in El Cajon Superior Court. A readiness conference was set for Dec. 13.
Blue has previously been convicted of making a criminal threat in 2010 and drug charges in 2011 and 2007. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in the George Bailey Detention Facility on $1 million bail.
El Cajon man faces murder charges
Vincent Frank Pedersen, 42, has been charged with murder in the shooting death of Richard Kent Chartier, 34, who died Nov. 4 in the driveway of his El Cajon home.
Pedersen, also of El Cajon, has pleaded not guilty in El Cajon Superior Court. Chartier was shot in the abdomen at 10:01 p.m. in the 1300 block of Oro Street.
Attorneys did not discuss the facts of the case in court and a motive was not disclosed. A preliminary hearing was set for Feb. 16, 2017, and a readiness conference for Jan. 19. Petersen remains in the George Bailey Detention Facility on $1 million bail.
Lemon Grove man sentenced for smuggling drugs
Carland M. Woodson, Jr., 41, of Lemon Grove, has been sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for smuggling liquid methamphetamine from Mexico into the U.S.
Woodson entered the Calexico Port of Entry on Feb. 8, 2015 in his truck and Customs and Border Protection officers found 24.7 kilograms of liquid methamphetamine inside the gas tank.
U.S. District Court Judge William Hayes sentenced Woodson, a warehouse worker, Nov. 14 after he pleaded guilty to importation of meth. He will get credit for the last 22 months he has spent in federal custody.
U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy said smuggling liquid meth is a trend by drug traffickers to avoid detection. Crystal methamphetamine is intentionally dissolved in a solvent, usually water, so it can be smuggled through U.S. ports of entry.
“Liquid meth is yet another method the cartels are using to try and beat the system and get this dangerous drug across the border,” said Duffy in a statement.
“But we are very much aware of this trend and will continue to intercept liquid meth to safeguard our communities,” said Duffy.
Sometimes smugglers put it in tequila bottles, water bottles, water containers or gas tanks. The conversion process is highly combustible and puts communities at risk, said Duffy.
The liquid meth is “de-liquefied” in recovery and re-crystalized into a solid form of methamphetamine hydrochloride in laboratories for the drug market, said Duffy.
Woodson’s attorney, Julie Blair, asked for no more than 70 months in prison. She said he did not put the meth in the gas tank and was only the driver. Woodson’s only prior record was driving on a suspended license.
