![]() Jeri Williams Chief of Police |
Oxnard Police Department
R. Jason Benites Scott Whitney |
OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT
NEWS RELEASE
INCIDENT: | Second Suspect Arrested in 2009 Homicide |
DATE/TIME: | 3/29/2013 / 1630 |
LOCATION: | 2700 block of El Dorado Avenue |
SUSPECT(S): | Jonathan Gallegos, 21 years old, of Newbury Park, CA |
PREPARED BY: |
Sergeant Alex Arnett Supervisor, (805) 486-6211, [email protected] |
CONTACT PERSON & CONTACT INFO: |
Det. Mike Young, Major Crimes Unit (805) 385-7606 [email protected] |
DETAILS:
Between 2006 and 2012, the City of Oxnard had five homicides that investigators believe were committed by members of the Lemonwood Chiques gang. In August of 2012, the Oxnard Police Department formed a special task force to solve these homicides. As a result of the task force’s extensive investigation, the department arrested 18 year old Cristian Santos for the October 12, 2011 homicide of Sergio Arroyo. Arroyo was subsequently convicted for this homicide.
On January 17, 2009 at approximately 8 PM, officers from the Oxnard Police Department responded to a call of a fight with shots fired in the 2700 block of El Dorado Ave. Upon the officer’s arrival, they located two victims who had sustained stab wounds. A third victim showed up at the hospital an hour after the incident with a minor stab wound. The 28 year old homicide victim, later identified as Alfredo Vargas, underwent emergency surgery and died at approximately 2:30 am on Sunday.
The task force has continued to work on the Alfredo Vargas homicide as well as other open homicides involving Lemonwood Chiques gang members. On March 29, 2013, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office filed charges on Jonathan Gallegos in connection with his role in this homicide. These charges include murder and committing the murder for the benefit of a criminal street gang, the Lemonwood Chiques.
There continues to be several outstanding suspects in the Alfredo Vargas homicide as well as the other homicides involving the Lemonwood Chiques gang members. Arrests in the near future for these homicides are highly likely. These investigations are the result of countless investigative hours and a cooperative effort involving multiple local law enforcement agencies. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department and the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office all played key roles in these successful investigations.
The investigation into the murder of Alfredo Vargas is ongoing and members of the public are asked to contact Detective Mike Young at (805) 385-7606 or [email protected] if they have any information about this incident.
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Date: March 29, 2013