Sacto 9-1-1

By Edward Ortiz
eortiz@sacbee.com

An early morning South Sacramento shooting that left one person dead and another injured has Sheriff's Homicide detectives looking for clues.

Sheriff's deputies around 12:30 a.m. received calls that gunshots had been fired on or near the 4800 block of Baker Ave. They found a 27-year-old man with multiple gun shot wounds to his upper body. The victim was found lying in the front yard of a home at the address. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

A 22-year-old male who had been shot once in the arm was also found at the scene and transported to a hospital. Deputies said he is expected to survive that injury.

A canvass of the neighborhood did not uncover any leads to the identity of the suspect or suspects, although deputies said one witness reported a vehicle speeding from the scene soon after the shots were fired.

A Sacramento Superior Court jury today acquitted Teng Thao, the alleged "homeless hitman," of murder charges in the Jan. 9, 2011, shotgun shooting death of Jenny Cha.

The jury returned its verdict after more than a day of deliberations, meaning that the 59-year-old Thao is likely to be released sometime today.

Prosecutors charged Thao with setting up in a field next to a West Lemon Hill apartment building that had been converted into a gambling den. Cha, 25, who was in the gambling parlor at 37th Street and 45th Avenue, had stepped outside for a cigarette around 3:15 a.m. when she was shot in the back with a shotgun that had been pointed at her through a fence.

Authorities believed it was a jealous ex-boyfriend who arranged the killing.

Thao's attorney, Assistant Public Defender Norm Dawson, argued to the jury that the witnesses who identified Thao as being in the field on the other side of the fence and then leaving it in the moments after the shooting couldn't be believed

A Sacramento man has been arrested, accused of fatally injuring his 3-week-old daughter.

Alias James McLaughlin (pictured), 20, was booked into Sacramento County Jail this afternoon on suspicion of murder.

Sacramento police were called to the UC Davis Medical Center about 3:48 p.m. Friday regarding an infant that had been transported to the emergency room. It was reported that the baby was not breathing and had succumbed to injuries, according to a Police Department news release.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Whatever happened to Robert Vela? He was accused of killing his infant son at his parents' home in the Pocket area. I think it was in the late '90s.
Submitted by: Grammy G., Sacramento

ANSWER: A Sacramento County jury convicted Robert Ramirez Vela Jr. of second-degree murder in the 1996 death of his 1-year-old son, Daniel Vergos.

The name of the man shot to death Friday night in Rio Linda has been released by Sacramento County Coroner's deputies.

He has been identified as Terrell Deandre Smith, 28, of Sacramento.

The shooting occurred about 10:15 p.m. at a home in the 6800 block of Radalyac Court. Sacramento County sheriff's deputies arrived to find Smith inside a residence with at least one gunshot wound to his upper body, according to reports. Smith was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two men found at the home were detained for questioning. They reported to police that two or three vehicles were seen speeding away from the house after the shooting, though it was unclear if the occupants of the vehicles were related to the incident.

No suspects have been identified and the motive is still unknown. Anyone with information about Smith's killing is asked to contact the Sheriff's homicide detectives at (916) 874-5115.

Calaveras County officials announced tonight that they have arrested the brother of 8-year-old Leila Fowler in connection with the third-grader's stabbing death April 27.

The boy, age 12, had told authorities that while his parents were not at home, he found his sister stabbed. He identified a tall man with gray, long hair as an intruder.

But tonight, Sheriff Gary Kuntz told reporters that the boy was taken into custody at 5:10 p.m. Saturday at the Valley Springs sheriff's substation, according to a live webcast of the announcement.

After a brief statement, Kuntz declined to take questions from reporters.

The girl's slaying occurred in the Rancho Calaveras neighborhood of Valley Springs, a town of about 7,500 people on the western climb into the mountains, about 60 miles southeast of Sacramento.

[Press conference video from FOX40:]

A man was shot to death late Friday in Rio Linda, authorities said.

The incident happened shortly before 10:15 p.m. at the 6800 block of Radalyac Court. Sacramento County sheriff's deputies arrived to find a black male inside a home "with at least one gunshot wound to his upper body," according to reports. Emergency personnel pronounced the man dead at the scene.

Two men found at the home were detained for questioning. They reported to police that two or three vehicles were seen speeding away from the house after the shooting, though it was unclear if the occupants of the vehicles were related to the incident.

The identity of the victim, who appeared to be in his 20s, has not been released pending notification of his family.

No suspects have been identified and the motive is still unknown. Anyone with information pertaining about this incident is asked to contact the Sheriff's homicide detectives at (916) 874-5115.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Whatever happened in the trial of my murdered friend Jill Alamo?
Submitted by: Colleen, Sacramento

ANSWER: Augustine Espino Munoz pleaded no contest in 2011 to second-degree murder in the 2007 strangulation of his ex-wife, Jill Alamo.

Sacramento County Sheriff's detectives are investigating a south Sacramento shooting that left a teen dead.

The shooting at the Willow Pointe Apartments, in the 6600 block of Sunnyslope Drive, occurred at just after 10:15 p.m. Friday.

Deputies arrived to find a male teen victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds just inside the gate of the complex. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

As of Saturday afternoon, authorities could provide no additional information about the motive or person(s) responsible.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the sheriff's homicide bureau at (916) 874-5115 or at www.sacsheriff.com by texting to 274637 (CRIMES) and entering the keyword "SSD" or by calling (916) 874-TIPS (8477).

A man convicted of killing his neighbors and their dogs, then setting fire to their Rio Linda home in 1979 has been denied parole.

Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully announced that a representative of her office appeared at the Board of Prison Terms hearing, where parole was denied for 51-year-old Michael Lynn Love for a three-year period.

On Aug. 10, 1979, Love, then 17, went to his neighbor's house in Rio Linda armed with a baseball bat and a knife. He encountered 62-year-old Faye Alexander outside the home, beat her over the head with a bat and stabbed her repeatedly, killing her, according to a District Attorney's Office news release. He then went inside the home and found 63-year-old Charlie Love, an invalid, lying on the couch. Love killed the man by beating him with the bat and repeatedly stabbing him.

The Sacramento County Coroner's office has released the name of the woman whose bullet-riddled body was found in her Rio Linda home on Wednesday.

She was identified as 51-year-old Julia Ray.

Her roommate, Stephen Ross Brainard, 58, (pictured) is suspected of killing her.

Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies believe that Brainard telephoned authorities at 5:30 a.m. to report that he had killed his roommate in their house in the 400 block of Lilac Lane in Rio Linda.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Several years ago, a man and a woman picked up a prostitute for the purpose of having the woman experience killing someone. Whatever happened to them?
Submitted by: Harry Banan, Sacramento

ANSWER: You may be thinking of the case of James Daveggio and Michelle Michaud of Sacramento who were sentenced to death in 2002 for the 1997 abduction, rape and murder of a Pleasanton woman.

By Bill Lindelof and Richard Chang

A law enforcement standoff has ended with the discovery of a woman shot dead in Rio Linda where a man earlier had telephoned to say he had killed his roommate.

The suspect, identified as 58-year-old Stephen Brainard, has been taken into custody and Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies have found the woman dead in the home on Lilac Lane.

Brainard telephoned dispatchers at about 5:30 a.m. today to say that he had shot and killed his roommate. Deputies set up a command post and tried to get the man to surrender.

Deputies were in intermittent contact over the telephone with the man. SWAT members were also called in.

Around 9:50 a.m., with SWAT members in place around the home, Brainard left the home. He was detained without incident.

A few deputies then went inside the home and found the woman dead in a bedroom. Sheriff's Department Sgt. Jason Ramos said the woman had been shot. The victim has not been identified, pending notification of her family.

"We have not identified her as yet but everything points to that she is the roommate," said Ramos.

Neighbor Dave Gamboa, 65, said he was shocked to hear about the murder.

"It's a rural and quiet area," Gamboa said. "That's why I moved here."

PHOTO CAPTION: Sheriff's deputies respond to a standoff in Rio Linda. Richard Chang/Sacramento Bee

An autopsy is scheduled today in the case of a Calaveras County girl found killed in her home, possibly by an intruder

The death of Leila Fowler, 8, has spawned a manhunt for a suspect described by her brother, who said he came upon an intruder about noon Saturday in the house. The boy then found his sister dead of stab wounds.

Calaveras County Sheriff's detectives and state Department of Justice Forensic Services personnel executed a search warrant at the home where the homicide occurred. Fingerprint and DNA evidence was collected at the scene.

A man convicted of a 1978 murder near Davis will remain in prison for at least three more years.

Charles McNeill was denied parole Wednesday by a two-commissioner panel of the state Board of Parole Hearings, according to a Yolo County District Attorney's Office news release. It was McNeill's 13th parole hearing.

McNeill was convicted of murdering 18-year-old Charles Muller, who was shot in the forehead.

A Sacramento Superior Court jury today convicted Vincent Richard Rivera and Fred Huante Jr. of first degree murder in the April 14, 2011, shooting death of a man who purportedly robbed them in a drug deal several weeks earlier.

Judge Allen H. Sumner scheduled the sentencing for May 17 on Rivera, 27, who was identified as the shooter, and Huante, who is now 21, in the killing of Francisco Flores, 19.

Authorities say Flores first robbed Huante in a drug deal in Chuckwagon Park in South Natomas. Huante and Rivera then went "hunting" for the suspects in the rip-off, Deputy District Attorney Chris Ore told jurors. About three weeks before the Flores killing, the defendants shot up another car on Northgate Boulevard that looked similar the robbery suspects' vehicle, jurors found in their verdicts today.

The defendants were convicted on two counts of of attempted murder in the earlier, March 27, 2011, shooting. Rivera and Huante also were convicted on another count of attempted murder in the shooting that injured Flores' brother at the same time they killed the murder victim outside a store on Northgate Boulevard at San Juan Road.

The woman who claimed she came home to find her roommate dead in their Fruitridge-area home Tuesday is now accused of killing her, according to authorities.

Linda Gabaldon, 45, told Sacramento County sheriff's deputies she came home shortly before 4 p.m. to find her roommate fatally shot in the Mascot Avenue home they shared.

Detectives questioned Gabaldon and shortly thereafter arrested her on suspicion of violating the terms of her parole. Today, they added the murder charge in connection with the death of Rebecca Brau, 53.

By Kim Minugh and Bill Lindelof
kminugh@sacbee.com

The woman who reported finding her 53-year-old roommate dead in their south Sacramento home Tuesday has been taken into custody, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

The woman, 45-year-old Linda Gabaldon, was found to be in violation of the terms of her parole, said sheriff's Sgt. Jason Ramos. She was not arrested on suspicion of murder.

Earlier today, the Sacramento County Coroner's office identified the victim as 53-year-old Rebecca H. Brau.

Shortly before 4 p.m., Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies responded to a residence in the 5900 block of Mascot Avenue regarding a shooting victim. A woman had called saying that she had returned home to find her roommate shot to death inside the residence, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038. Follow her on Twitter @Kim_Minugh.

Sacramento County sheriff's homicide detectives are investigating the death of a woman who was found shot this afternoon in her south Sacramento home.

Shortly before 4 p.m., deputies responded to a residence in the 5900 block of Mascot Avenue regarding a shooting victim. A woman had called saying that she had returned home to find her roommate shot to death inside the residence, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

Deputies found a woman in her 50s with multiple gunshot wounds to her upper body. She was declared dead at the scene by paramedics.

Sacramento police report that a man in his 20s was the victim of a fatal shooting this evening.

Officers were called to an apartment complex in the 600 block of Plaza Avenue in North Sacramento about 7:53 p.m. regarding a report that a man had been shot, said Officer Doug Morse, police spokesman. They found the victim outside an apartment in a courtyard area and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Morse said it has not been determined whether the man lived in the at the complex.

He said investigators do not know what precipitated the shooting.

A man who fled to Mexico in an attempt to avoid prosecution has been convicted of second-degree murder in the 2008 Christmas Day shooting death of 24-year-old Francisco Torres-Fernandez.

A Sacramento County jury on Thursday found Edgar Carrillo, 30, guilty in the slaying of Torres-Fernandez, a North Highlands resident who was found fatally wounded in the 2300 block of North Avenue in Del Paso Heights just after midnight Dec. 25, 2008. The jury also found Carrillo guilty of assault with a deadly weapon for pistol whipping a woman that same day, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release.

Carrillo and Torres-Fernandez were acquaintances and had reportedly gotten into an argument before the shooting.

The Sacramento Police Department has released descriptions of three suspects in the fatal assault last month on 28-year-old Josiah Humphreys in the midtown area.

Officers responded about 12:48 a.m. March 17 to the area of 18th and P streets regarding a report of an individual who was bleeding. They arrived to find Humphreys, who had been seriously injured in a fight. Humphreys was transported to an area hospital, where he died of his injuries.

Police are asking the public's help in identifying the suspects. All are described as light-skinned, black, Asian or Latino men, 25 to 30 years old. One reportedly weighed 180 to 195 pounds and was wearing a dark-colored New York Yankees jacket similar to the one pictured. The second man reportedly had a thin build, short dark spiky hair, and was wearing a white T-shirt. The third suspect also may have been wearing a white T-shirt, according to a Police Department news release.

Sacramento County sheriff's detectives have arrested a 24-year-old Rosemont woman on suspicion of murder after they found a newborn baby's body hidden in her home, according to authorities.

Deputies arrested Courtney Kathleen Addington (pictured) on Tuesday night, two and a half months after deputies discovered the baby's body in a trash bag underneath a bed in Addington's Wildrose Way home, said sheriff's Sgt. Jason Ramos.

On Jan. 25, staff at Mercy General Hospital notified Sacramento police after they admitted a woman who they were confident had given birth - she was bleeding excessively - but who had denied doing so, Ramos said. Sacramento police then notified the Sheriff's Department, and deputies went to Addington's home to check on the welfare of a possible baby.

That night, deputies found the baby's body.

Addington is being held in the Sacramento County Main Jail, where she is ineligible for bail. She is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.

By Richard Chang
rchang@sacbee.com

Davis police are investigating a possible double homicide in south Davis of a prominent elderly attorney and his wife over the weekend.

Police said they had been asked to check in on Oliver J. Northup, 87, and his wife Claudia M. Maupin, 76, by relatives who were concerned that they had not heard from the couple Sunday.

Police were called out to the home by Maupin's daughter around 9:20 p.m. for a welfare check, according to Stanley Dawson, who is married to Northup's ex-wife.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What happened to David Harrell, who was accused of killing young Brady West?
Submitted by: Jolene, Sacramento

ANSWER: John David Harrell was convicted of second-degree murder in the February 1997 beating death of 15-month old Brady West.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has identified the man found fatally shot in a Pocket area apartment Monday as 30-year-old Lawrence Dominic Smith.

Friends of Smith discovered Smith's body in his apartment, located on the 8000 block of Pocket Road, just after 10 a.m. Monday, according to Sacramento police. The friends called 911, and paramedics pronounced Smith dead at the scene.

Smith had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, police said.

Homicide detectives are investigating, but have not yet made any arrests in the case.

Sacramento police today arrested a 52-year-old man in connection with a 25-year-old homicide case.

Stanley David Grow (pictured) was taken into custody shortly after 9 a.m. as he exited the rear door of his home in the 3600 block of Gayle Way in North Highlands, according to a Police Department news release. He is accused of the 1988 slaying of Manuel Morales. Police said the arrest was based on DNA evidence.

At 2:17 a.m. Oct. 19, 1988, a Sacramento police officer was on patrol on 14th Avenue in the William Land Park area. While westbound on 14th Avenue from 19th Street, the officer saw an individual lying in the gutter wrapped in a blood-soaked sheet. The victim, later identified as 51-year-old Morales, had suffered multiple stab wounds and was declared dead at the scene.

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies are investigating the fatal shooting of a young man in the Fruitridge area this afternoon.

Shortly before 11:30 a.m., a caller reported a man had been shot in the area of E. Nichols Avenue and 16th Avenue, said sheriff's Sgt. Jason Ramos. Subsequent 911 calls reported shots heard in the area.

Deputies found a man lying on the sidewalk on the west side of E. Nichols Avenue, south of 16th Avenue, next to a parked car, Ramos said. The car's front passenger door was open, and the windows on the driver's side had been shot out.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: I was wondering whatever happened to the men that were arrested in connection with the death of William Kempton's daughter?
Submitted by: Bill McCormick, Sacramento

ANSWER: Andres Arturo Tostado and Jacob Edwards were arrested in connection with the 2007 death of 21-year-old Summer Kempton, daughter of then state Department of Transportation Director Will Kempton.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: I am trying to find an article about an old friend that died on Aug. 29, 1996. His name was Florentino Mayorga Jr., "Tino". I wanted to know if they ever found how he died and if anyone was ever convicted.
Submitted by: Nicole, Sacramento

ANSWER:Trevor James Heard and Fernando George Loya were found guilty of second-degree murder in the August 1996 slaying of 20-year-old Florentino Mayorga.

Sacramento police confirmed today that the death of a man whose body was found in a Pocket-area apartment this morning is being investigated as a homicide.

The man, identified only as 30 years old, was discovered inside an apartment on the 8000 block of Pocket Road by friends who hadn't heard from him in awhile, said police Officer Michele Gigante.

The friends found him unconscious inside the apartment. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene, and called police. The man had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, Gigante said.

It was not immediately clear how long the man had been inside the apartment, Gigante said.

Detectives are investigating. No suspects have been arrested.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: I am wondering what happened to Adam Gordon. He was charged with murder and now his online status says state prison hold but not how long he was sentenced for.
Submitted by: Darren, Sacramento

ANSWER: Adam Charles Gordon, 30, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the December 2011 slaying of 53-year-old David Pare, according to Sacramento Superior Court online records.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: In 1987, Kevin Duncan, a paraplegic, was murdered. Gregory R. Jackson, a transient who the victim had taken in, was accused. Jackson denied it but later claimed he had acted under the overwhelming influence of a femme fatale gang leader. His trial was delayed many times. Where is he now?
Submitted by: Tim, Folsom

ANSWER: Gregory Robert Jackson pleaded no contest to second-degree murder in the December 1987 death of 30-year-old Kevin Thomas Duncan.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

Sacramento County sheriff's investigators have found no evidence of any altercation or argument leading up to the fatal stabbing of a Carmichael man Wednesday night.

The attack, described by authorities as "brutal," appears to have been "a very spontaneous event" and the motive remains unclear, said sheriff's Sgt. Jason Ramos.

Killed in the attack was 65-year-old Roy Shier, according to the Sacramento County Coroner's Office.

Just before 11 p.m., deputies were called to a home on the 6200 block of Coyle Avenue after receiving a report of a stabbing. Deputies found Shier, who had suffered "significant trauma consistent with sharp force and blunt force trauma," Ramos said. Shier was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witnesses quickly told deputies the identity of the alleged attacker and gave a description. Deputies found the alleged assailant, identified as 26-year-old Kenneth Azlin, on the campus of a nearby elementary school and arrested him. They also found the weapon believed to have been used in the attack, Ramos said.

Azlin was arrested on suspicion of murder and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail early this morning.

Azlin is the grandson of Shier's wife, Ramos said. She and two juvenile family members were at the Coyle Avenue home at the time of the attack but were not injured.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038. Follow her on Twitter @Kim_Minugh.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Around the late 1990s, I was on a jury that convicted several people for robbery and murder of a truck driver in a parking lot of a Stop-and-Go near 46th Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard in south Sacramento. The victim's brother, also a truck driver, saw his brother's truck in the parking lot before and after making deliveries himself to the Campbell Soup plant. Upon investigating, he found his brother partially clothed and dead in the truck from a gunshot wound. The judge determined the sentencing after we were released. What punishment did the judge impose, and what are the defendants' status?
Submitted by: Dave, Folsom

ANSWER: James "J.T." Bertram and Nikita Suzanne Powell, both of south Sacramento, were tried for the shooting death of Woodland trucker Darrel Gaskill.

A Carmichael couple have entered no contest pleas in the 2009 death of a parolee whose body was found in a rural area of El Dorado County.

Charles Gaskin, 48, pleaded no contest today to the first-degree murder of Neil Hayes, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release. Gaskin's wife and co-defendant, Sandra Sheaves, pleaded no-contest to a felony charge of being an accessory to murder. Gaskin also admitted an enhancement for the use of a deadly weapon, and his wife admitted an enhancement for misuse of information obtained from the Megan's Law website.

Hayes, 66, was released on parole in June 2009 and contacted Gaskin, whom he had met while both were incarcerated in the same prison, authorities said. Gaskin and Sheaves allowed Hayes to stay in their garage because he had no permanent residence.

A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the fatal shooting of a woman in Foothill Farms last week.

Sacramento County sheriff's detectives allege Marquon DeAnthony Green-Vasquez is responsible for the death of 30-year-old Deandra Horton. A 31-year-old man standing next to her also was shot and suffered non-life-threatening injuries in Friday's violence at the Cambridge Park apartments on Hamilton Street.

Detectives suspect the surviving victim - and not Horton - was the intended target, said sheriff's Sgt. Jason Ramos.

Green-Vasquez also suffered a gunshot wound in the incident, and was identified by detectives after seeking treatment at a Walnut Creek hospital, Ramos said. Detectives are still investigating who shot Green-Vasquez.

He and the surviving victim are both known gang members, and the homicide is being investigated as gang-related, Ramos said.

On Saturday, detectives arrested 29-year-old Shoreem Bryant on suspicion of accessory to murder in connection with the shootings.

Ramos said detectives are investigating whether there are any outstanding suspects.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What was the outcome and reason behind the man fatally shot outside the Monte Carlo a few months back? I believe the victim's name was Jesse James Nunez. Has the suspect been charged in court yet?
Submitted by: Manero, West Sacramento

ANSWER: Elpidio Tellez was arrested following the fatal shooting of 36-year-old Jesse James Nunez.

The Sacramento County Coroner's office has released the name of the man shot to death at a Natomas party early Sunday morning.

He has been identified as Roland Duncan Bell, 25, of Fairfield.

Bell was killed and two others wounded during gunfire at an apartment.

Sacramento police have no motive for the killing of a young man whose body was found early this morning in the street.

At about 4 a.m., officers were sent to 35th Street and 26th Avenue near Fruitridge Road and Highway 99 where a body was reported in the street. Sacramento Fire Department personnel also responded and declared the man dead at the scene.

The man in his 20s suffered multiple gunshot wounds, according to police. A dark sedan, thought to be connected to the killing, was seen in the area around the time of the shooting, police said.

The man's identity has not been released. Anyone with information is asked to call the dispatch at (916) 264-5471 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Tipsters to Crime Alert may remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: I believe it was 1994 when a man in North Highlands accidentally shot his niece or daughter, then fled to Mexico. I don't remember many details, but was he ever found, or did he finally turn himself in?
Submitted by: Bebe, Elk Grove

ANSWER: Three-year-old Jamie Vongvilay was fatally shot Sept. 6, 1997, when a gun her uncle had purchased that day at a Reno gun show discharged, striking her in the chest.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Back in the late 1980s or early '90s a gold miner named Pete Sanger was killed in Old Sacramento. Was anyone ever convicted of the crime?
Submitted by: Leslie, Sacramento

ANSWER: One man pleaded no contest to being an accessory in the shooting death of gold miner Pete Sanger, a resident of Forbestown in Butte County, but the primary suspect was not charged in the case.

A man died after reportedly being in a fight in midtown Sacramento in early Sunday, Sacramento police said.

Police responded to 18th and P streets about 12:45 a.m., after receiving reports of a bleeding person. Officers found a man in his 20s on the ground at the corner, with witnesses administering CPR.

Police believe the injured man was drunk and got involved in a fight with three other adult males near the sidewalk on 18th Street, said Officer Michele Gigante. During the incident, he sustained traumatic injuries to his head, and a bystander called police, she said.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Several years ago, a Sacramento sheriff's deputy was killed on a routine traffic stop of a white van. A white van was later found submerged near the murder scene. Has the killer ever been located, and what is the status of that investigation if not?
Submitted by: Steph, Sacramento

ANSWER: Sacramento County Sheriff's Deputy Jeffrey Mitchell was shot and killed about 3:30 a.m. Oct. 27, 2006, while checking on a white van without a license plate on a rural road near Sloughhouse.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: In the mid-1990s, Lance Evans, owner of Pool, Patio and Things, was killed in his place of business. Was this ever solved?
Submitted by: David Hunt, Sacramento

ANSWER: This case remains unsolved.

Lance Evans, 41, was killed July 12, 1995, during a robbery at the Arden Way patio store that he had owned for five years with two partners.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What happened to the son of Lisa Barber, who was allegedly stabbed and killed by him just before Thanksgiving in 2011?
Submitted by: Jacquelyn Williams, Sacramento

ANSWER: Angelo Dunya Wright, 21, is in Sacramento County Jail charged with murder in the death of his mother, Lisa Marie Barber.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What happened to the people who killed Curtis James Anderson Jr. in 2009?
Submitted by: GodsOwn, Sacramento

ANSWER: Two men pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of 20-year-old Curtis James Anderson Jr. at a Florin-area apartment complex.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What is happening with Matthew Riley's appeal? He was convicted of murdering both his parents.
Submitted by: Mark, Sacramento

ANSWER: According to online court records, Matthew David Riley filed a notice of appeal Jan. 9, 2012, three days after he was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole for the stabbing deaths of his parents.

A man convicted of murdering two people in Davis in 1980 will remain in prison for at least three more years.

Daniel Wehner today was denied parole for the ninth time by a two-commissioner panel of the Board of Parole Hearings, according to the Yolo County District Attorney's Office.

In 1980, Wehner murdered his former girlfriend Robin Ehlman and her friend John Manville at the Castilian Apartments in Davis. Ehlman was 19 and Manville, a UC Davis veterinary medicine student, was 25. Ehlman had been stalking Ehlman and had physically abused her during their relationship, causing her to lose consciousness after choking her on at least one occasion, officials said.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What results on the fatal shooting of a victim in late 2012 at 65th Avenue and 21st Street? Was anyone arrested?
Submitted by: LAthony, Sacramento

ANSWER: A 17-year-old suspect was arrested in the shooting death of a man Nov. 7 off 65th Avenue near Florin Road and 21st Street.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: On June 24, 2006, by a park in Antelope, a young man named Serge Zubenko was shot and killed in his own car. What happened to those who were involved?
Submitted by: Gemini21, Sacramento

ANSWER: Two men were sentenced to prison for the shooting death of 24-year-old Serge Zubenko.

The boy allegedly killed in a horrific hatchet attack in Natomas on Tuesday night has been identified as 9-year-old Matthew Hernandez.

Sacramento police allege that the boy's father, Phillip Raymond Hernandez, 36, is responsible. He was arrested on suspicion of murder after the boy was found with fatal blunt force trauma in the Natomas home they shared with Matthew's 12-year-old brother and an elderly woman, according to police.

Sacramento police said it is unclear what allegedly led Hernandez to harm his child.

The Sacramento County Coroner's office has released the name of a man killed in an apparent exchange of gunfire on a Meadowview street.

He was identified as Joseph McDowell, 20, of Sacramento.

According to Sacramento police, McDowell and possibly one other person approached a home in the 3500 block Reel Circle on foot shortly after 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. An argument unfolded with one resident of the home, and gunfire was exchanged, said police Sgt. Matt Young said. Two of the men were struck.

A fight between friends ended violently with a deadly stabbing in southeastern Sacramento on Sunday.

Sacramento police said that at about 11 p.m. Sunday they were called to the 7700 block of 32nd Avenue near Fruitridge and Power Inn roads where a 30-year-old man had been stabbed.

The man, who has not yet been identified, later died at a hospital.

Officers learned that there had been a fight between roommates. During the fight, the victim was stabbed by his roommate with a kitchen knife.

Officers detained the roommate, who remained at the residence after the fight. The roommate, Sixto Rosas, 36, was arrested on suspicion of homicide after being questioned by homicide detectives.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Has anyone been arrested in connection with the shooting death of Jorden Benedict last April in Rancho Cordova?
Submitted by: Just Curious, Rancho Cordova

ANSWER: Investigation of the case remains open, but no arrests have been made, according to Sgt. Jason Ramos, Sacramento County Sheriff's Department spokesman.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced today that no human remains were found during a more than monthlong excavation of an abandoned well site in Linden.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Herb Brown said during a news conference that investigators had reached out to Wesley Shermantine as recently as this week in an effort to locate the remains of victims of Shermantine and fellow convicted murderer Loren Herzog. Brown said Shermatine, through an attorney, refused to cooperate.

Shermantine pointed investigators to the most recent dig site.

A father and a son pleaded no contest today to killing a man in their Land Park home two years ago.

Christopher William Koppe, 56, and his son Nicholas Tyler Koppe, 23, entered the pleas in the Feb. 8, 2010, stabbing death of Keenan Jon Slotty, 24, in the residence in the 2700 block of Muir Way.

Authorities said the defendants and the victim were all believed to be alcohol and methamphetamine abusers and that the killing resulted from a dispute that arose between the Koppes and Slotty.

Sacramento homicide detectives are investigating the death of a 62-year-old man who was shot during a robbery in Oak Park almost 36 years ago.

Walter Johnson died in a local hospital Monday as the result of medical complications traced back to paralysis he suffered when he was shot in April 1977, said police spokeswoman Officer Michele Gigante.

At 3:48 a.m. on April 9, 1977, Johnson was sitting in his car parked on San Carlos Way near 13th Avenue when a red or brown Ford Pinto stopped in the roadway, Gigante said.

An employee allegedly shot and killed a suspected armed robber Sunday afternoon at a Metro PCS store in Rosemont Sunday afternoon.

There were two employees and no customers in the store when the shooting occurred on the 8900 block of Folsom Boulevard around 3:00 p.m., Sgt. Jason Ramos said.

One of the employees called 911 and said he shot a gunman who was trying to rob the store, Ramos said. Deputies found a man with upper body gunshot wounds lying in the back of the store, and paramedics pronounced the man dead at the scene, Ramos said.

Sacramento police have arrested a 27-year-old man in the death last month of his infant nephew.

Willis Lilly (pictured) was taken into custody Thursday and booked into Sacramento County jail on suspicion of murder.

About 7 a.m. Jan. 11, police were called to the 7800 block of Summersdale Drive in the south Sacramento area by Sacramento Fire Department personnel who were administering medical aid to an unresponsive 4-month-old boy, Demosphesis King. This child was transported to an area hospital where he died, according to a Police Department news release.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What happened to the guy that was arrested for the killing of the leader of the white supremacist group?
Submitted by: Janice, Sacramento

ANSWER:No one has been charged in the March 2011 shooting death of white supremacist David Austin Lynch at his Citrus Heights home.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Was anyone ever arrested or convicted of the killing of Lori Savala in 1993?
Submitted by: Nmresident, Clovis, N.M.

ANSWER: Luther Dion Foster was arrested in the May 1993 shooting death of 20-year-old Lori Savala, but there is no indication in Sacramento Superior Court online records that he was formally charged with the homicide.

A man convicted of a 2004 Oak Park murder has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison, plus one year for use of a deadly weapon.

Ignacio Bulahan, 37, was convicted last month of first-degree in death of Thyotis Jackson, 22.

The murder was unsolved until 2010, when an individual came forward with information that assisted the Sacramento Police Department in linking the murder to Bulahan, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release.

According to testimony at trial, Jackson was a cross-dressing prostitute whom Bulahan had propositioned outside a store on Broadway near First Avenue. A dispute arose when Jackson informed Bulahan that he was a man, and Bulahan slashed Jackson's throat during the fight.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Whatever happened to the guy who allegedly caused the death of Satender Singh by punching him, causing him to fall backward, hitting his head fatally on a rock and then fled the country to Ukraine? Has he ever been brought to justice?
Submitted by: Pattysboi, Carmichael

ANSWER: Sacramento Superior Court online records show that there is still an active complaint charging Andrey Vusik with involuntary manslaughter and a hate crime in the death of Satender Singh in July 2007.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Was there a homicide shooting on Dec. 30, 2006 on Hillsdale and Walerga that killed Anthony Fuller?
Submitted by: Kitten, Sacramento

ANSWER: Anthony Fuller, 26, of Sacramento was fatally shot during a fight that began inside a Foothill Farms liquor store on Dec. 30, 2006.

The FBI announced today that crews excavating a Linden-area well in a search for murder victims have located debris more than 95 feet below grade, but no human remains have been found.

Excavation of the well on private land off Flood Road began five weeks ago in an effort to locate remains of victims of serial killers Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog.

To date, the team of FBI personnel and technical experts have removed and sifted more than 50 cubic yards of loamy fill dirt from within the well. The debris was located over the weekend, according to an FBI news release.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What happened to the two men who were arrested in connection with the killing the homeless man in the American River Parkway, Michael J. Tinius, in spring 2008?
Submitted by: DHL, Sacramento

ANSWER: J. Douglas Halford and Mark Ray Hernandez were found guilty of second-degree murder in the slaying of 47-year-old Michael Tinius.

The gunman in the 2010 shooting death of Steven Carmassi has been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.

A Sacramento County jury last month convicted Nathaniel Carter, 24, of first-degree murder and attempted robbery. He was sentenced today by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Greta Fall, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release.

Carter, with co-defendants Latice Collins and DeJohng Taylor, tried to rob Carmassi at gunpoint as he sat in his truck in a supermarket parking lot at Garfield Avenue and Auburn Boulevard in the Foothill Farms area Oct. 29, 2010. When Carmassi, described by authorities as a marijuana dealer, tried to drive away, Carter shot him in the chest through the driver's side window.

Collins, 36, was sentenced in January to 26 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder and attempted robbery. Taylor, 23, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced today to seven years in prison.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Was anyone arrested in the shooting death of a toddler riding in the back seat of his father's car on July 4, 2012?
Submitted by: Momma of 4, Sacramento

ANSWER: Three suspects, two of them teenagers, turned themselves in within days of the shooting, after the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department publicized their names and photos.

A month after beginning excavation of an abandoned Linden-area well, FBI and technical crews say they have changed their techniques to speed up the search for remains of victims of convicted killers Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog.

Excavation of the filled-in well on private agricultural land off Flood Road reached a depth of 86 feet late today, but remains have yet to be found, according to an FBI news release.

The clay and sandstone-laden soil surrounding the well proved the greatest challenge as the team sought to excavate a platform around the well. Excavation of the platform has been abandoned to expedite efforts, officials said. The team currently is operating exclusively within the 5-foot-wide well site.

A Marysville man has been arrested on suspicion of homicide in a shooting on Sunday that left one person dead and three others injured.

Kong Meng Vue, 25, was arrested by Yuba County deputies, with the assistance of gang task force officers, about 11 a.m. Wednesday. Vue was taken into custody in the 5700 block of Park Avenue in Linda.

Vue is a suspect in an incident on Sunday night in which somebody fired several shots toward a house in the 5800 block of Poplar Avenue in Olivehurst where a family gathering was taking place.

Teng Yang, 20, of Olivehurst was pronounced dead at the scene.

The three others who were shot were a 24-year-old man, a 27-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman, all from Olivehurst. They were taken to a hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

The motive for the shooting is under investigation.

Sacramento police have arrested a 29-year-old man in the death of Patrick Kendrick, whose body was found inside a burning residence Friday on Norwood Avenue.

David Acuna was taken into custody about 8 a.m. today at his apartment in the 1400 block of Brewerton Drive in South Natomas. He was found to be in need of immediate medical attention because of severe burns on his upper body, according to a Police Department news release. Officials said the burns are believed to have been sustained in Friday's fire.

Acuna is being treated for his injuries at a local hospital.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: I dated a female from Woodland who, while on her way to visit me, was shot and killed by someone in another car. Two others in the car with her were injured but survived. Was anyone ever arrested? This happened in the early '90s.
Submitted by: Robert, Stockton

ANSWER: Three men were arrested in the 1990 gang-related shooting in which 24-year-old Norma Hernandez of Woodland was killed and two other people were seriously wounded.

Sacramento police have arrested two juveniles in connection with the fatal drive-by shooting of a man Jan. 17 in Oak Park.

Anthony Navarro, 19, of Sacramento was shot about 12:44 p.m. in the 3100 block of 39th Street, just south of Broadway. He was transported to UC Davis Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Police said he had been shot several times.

Sacramento police spokeswoman Officer Michele Gigante said homicide investigators tracked one suspect, a 16-year-old boy, to Palm Springs and he was taken into custody by Palm Springs police on Jan. 29. He has been returned to Sacramento and booked into juvenile hall.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: A couple of years ago there was a story about a mom named January that was allegedly killed by her boyfriend. What happened to that case?
Submitted by: Christina, Elk Grove

ANSWER: Issiah Willie Jackson was convicted of murder in the 2007 death of January Keene, a 30-year-old mother and aspiring model.

A father who reportedly killed his teenage children before taking his own life at a home in Murphys had been arrested four years ago following a fight with his estranged wife and her sister, according to the Calaveras County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies found the bodies of Phillip Randolph Marshall, 54, his son Alex Marshall, 17, and daughter Macaila Marshall, 14, Saturday afternoon at a residence in the 1200 block of Sandalwood Drive in the Forest Meadows subdivision in Murphys. Previous news stories incorrectly indicated that both children were boys.

It has been determined that Alex and Macaila Marshall were asleep on the couch at the time they were shot, according to a Sheriff's Office news release. Officials said evidence at the scene confirmed that Phillip Marshall was the shooter, and foul play by any other parties has been ruled out. They said the time of death has not been determined. All three people had single gunshot wounds to the head. Authorities identified the weapon as a handgun.

Four people were shot, one fatally, in gunfire Sunday at a house in Yuba County.

Somebody fired several shots toward a house in the 5800 block of Poplar Avenue near Almond Avenue about 10 p.m. Sunday where a family gathering was taking place.

Teng Yang, 20, of Olivehurst was pronounced dead at the scene.

The three others who were shot were a 24-year-old man, a 27-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman, all from Olivehurst. They were transported to a hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

The motive for the shooting is under investigation. Gang involvement has not been ruled out, according to a sheriff's department press release.

Sacramento police said they are investigating the death of 32-year-old Patrick Kendrick as a homicide after his body was discovered Friday in an apartment fire on Norwood Avenue.

"It appears to be a homicide due to the obvious signs of trauma to his upper body," said police spokesman Officer Doug Morse. "The fire appears to have been set to cover up the homicide."

Sacramento police were called to the scene of the fire Friday morning at about 10 a.m. in the 3700 block of Norwood Avenue after firefighters discovered Kendrick's body inside an apartment that had been engulfed in flames.

Twenty-five days into excavation on agricultural property in the Linden-area, FBI personnel and technical experts have yet to discover human remains.

Crews have dug to a depth of approximately 65 feet below grade within an old well site in a search for the remains of victims of convicted killers Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog.

Progress has continued at a rate of about 5 to 7 feet each day of operations, according to an FBI news release. Excavation of the soft, sandy fill dirt within the well has proceeded relatively smoothly, officials said. The fill dirt is conveyed to the surface to be sifted so no materials are overlooked.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: In the winter of 2005-06, an 11-month-old boy named Alan was beaten to death at Vince's Motel on Folsom Boulevard. Both parents were arrested. Were either one of them convicted?
Submitted by: L. Darragh, Sacramento

ANSWER: A Sacramento County jury convicted Robbie Woodson of murder in the April 2005 death of his 11-month-old son, Allan Woodson.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: I had a friend, Carole Sturgis, who lived in Fair Oaks and was killed on July 15, 2012. What ever happened to the man involved?
Submitted by: Jeanne, Fair Oaks

ANSWER: Moses Stanley Trotter, 32, remains in Sacramento County Jail charged with murder in the death 79-year-old Carole Jane Sturgis.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: I worked with a guy who won some money at a casino and had his friend claim it for lack of ID. The friend kept the money and my co-worker went on a rampage, attacking and killing him with a bat before going into the house and attacking two young girls sleeping and then going next door and trying to attack an elderly couple. What was the outcome after his arrest. This happened around 2001-2003 I believe.
Submitted by: Robert, Stockton

ANSWER: Luis Orosco was found guilty of murder and five counts of attempted murder after going on a rampage at a house in North Highlands in August 2004.

After several days of digging, the FBI and drilling experts have not found any human remains at a well in Linden where a search is being conducted for victims of two San Joaquin County killers.

Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel began working at the well on Jan. 7 in a search for the victims of serial killers Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog. Last week, digging began after the initial site preparations.

The experts don't exactly know the depth of the well, despite using a bore and camera. The excavating of the well is done by hand.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What ever happened to Jack Sackrider for the murder of his girlfriend sometime in the early '90s?
Submitted by: Terry A. Fulton, Sacramento

ANSWER: Jack Sackrider pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 1999 death of his girlfriend, Tina Ray Foligno.

Andy Furillo

afurllo@sacbee.com

Richard Joseph Hirschfield sat impassively today while a Sacramento judge sentenced him to the death penalty for the murders of UC Davis "sweethearts" John Riggins and Sabrina Gonsalves more than three decades ago.

Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael W. Sweet told Hirschfield that pending the outcome of his appeals, "you shall be put to death by a manner and means prescribed by law" for the Dec. 20, 1980, killings of the two 18-year-olds who were abducted after working as volunteers on a production of the Davis Children's Nutrcracker.

His voice waivering, Sweet told the parents of the two murdered students, "I recognize there is nothing I can say that can adequately convey anything that will console you, that your lives changed permanently in the worst possible way. You have endured so much. The tortured history of this case must have taken away any hope you had that the person responsible for these acts would be discovered and held to answer.

"Hopefully, with the jury's verdicts in this case, they have provided you some measure of closure and comfort, and that justice in some small way has and will be served," Sweet said.

By Andy Furillo

A Sacramento County Superior Court Judge today sentenced Richard Hirschfield to death for the murders of UC Davis students John Riggins and Sabrina Gonsalves 32 years ago.

This morning Judge Michael Sweet said the homicides were "so horrendous, so evil," in earlier denying a motion to modify.

Hirschfield was convicted in November for the Dec. 20, 1980, abduction and murders of Riggins and Gonsalves, both of whom were 18.

He also was convicted of a sexual attack on Gonsalves. The two were kidnapped after they had worked on a production of The Davis Children's Nutcracker. Their bodies were discovered two days later near Lake Natoma.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Whatever happened to Avelina Luna and the killing of her children?
Submitted by: John, Sacramento

ANSWER: A Sacramento County jury found Avelina Luna guilty of first-degree murder in the asphyxiation deaths of her two elementary school-age daughters at their Natomas home in March 1993.

Another man has been arrested in the shooting death of a motorist last week in Rosemont.

Rodolfo Villa, 22, (photo) was taken into custody on Wednesday and booked into jail on suspicion of homicide.

Earlier this week, Michael Almeda, 19, was arrested for the same crime. He also has been booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of homicide.

On Jan. 17, Alexander Brian Chavez, 21, was found unresponsive in the driver's seat of a Chevrolet Suburban by Sacramento County sheriff's deputies who responded to reports of shots fired.

His sport utility vehicle was stopped in the middle of the roadway, facing northbound on Westporter Drive at Lilibet Avenue. A female passenger inside the SUV at the time of the shooting was uninjured.

Chavez died at the scene. The initial investigation revealed that another vehicle was seen speeding from the scene just after shots were fired.

Anyone with information is asked to call the homicide bureau at (916) 874-5115.

By Darrell Smith
dvsmith@sacbee.com

A Yolo County judge on Thursday rejected claims by a victims' advocacy group that a video showing the June 2008 shooting death of a Yolo County Sheriff's deputy played at trial and later aired by Sacramento's KCRA-TV violated the privacy of the slain deputy's family.

Attorney Nina Salarno Ashford of Crime Victims United represented the family of Deputy Sheriff Tony Diaz, killed by Marco Topete following a chase near Dunnigan.

Salarno Ashford argued for a protective order stopping viewing of the dashboard camera video that captured the shooting, citing privacy provisions in what is known as Marsy's Law that are designed to protect the privacy of crime victims and their families. Members of the Diaz family attended the hearing but did not speak with reporters.

A man has been arrested in the shooting death of a motorist last week in Rosemont.

On Thursday night, Alexander Brian Chavez, 21, was found unresponsive in the driver's seat of a Chevrolet Suburban by Sacramento County sheriff's deputies who responded to reports of shots fired.

His sport utility vehicle was stopped in the middle of the roadway, facing northbound on Westporter Drive at Lilibet Avenue. A female passenger inside the SUV at the time of the shooting was uninjured.

The initial investigation revealed that another vehicle was seen speeding from the scene just after shots were fired.

A sheriff's department investigation led them to Michael Almeda, 19, who was taken into custody Tuesday evening. He has been booked into Sacramento County Jail on suspicion of homicide.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: In or around 1969 or 1970, a nurse by the name of Judith Ann Hakari was kidnapped in the late evening from the parking lot of Sutter Memorial Hospital. Her body was found in a shallow grave in Weimar. Were there any arrests made in connection with this crime?
Submitted by: Nancy, Carmichael

ANSWER: The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department website lists the death of Judith Ann Hakari as one of the homicide cases being re-evaluated by its Cold Case Investigations Unit.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has identified the man fatally shot in Oak Park last week as 19-year-old Anthony Navarro.

Navarro was walking on 39th Street south of Broadway when an unknown shooter fired from a passing vehicle, according to Sacramento police. Navarro was hit multiple times and died later at a hospital.

Police have not made any arrests.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call police at (916) 264-5471 or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP.

The El Dorado County Sheriff has fired off an anti-gun control letter to Vice President Joe Biden.

"It is well known and proven with facts, not emotional inference, that gun control of any kind, has no effect on the reduction of crime, anywhere," wrote Sheriff John D'Agostini.

The letter, also sent out as a press release, was written to Biden Jan. 17.

To see the El Dorado County Sheriff's letter to Biden, click here.

The Obama administration is trying to get congressional support for a package of gun-control proposals, including an assault rifle ban. Biden helped formulate the proposals.

The gun control proposals come following the December shooting at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school that left 20 children and six staffers dead.

By Hudson Sangree
hsangree@sacbee.com

A north Sacramento resident fatally shot a man Sunday who entered his yard, refused to leave and became increasingly violent, Sacramento Police reported late Monday.

On Sunday at about 3:30 p.m., a woman reported that her husband had just shot an intruder in their yard in the 3100 block of Palmer Street , according to a news release.

Officers found the 36-year-old resident still armed and a 50-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The wounded man was taken to the hospital, where he died eight hours later.

None of the individuals has been indentified.

Thousands gathered today to pay tribute to a Galt police officer fatally shot while on duty last week.

Friends, family, clergy and law enforcement officers remembered 35-year-old Kevin Tonn a man who had dedicated his life to public service and who ultimately fulfilled a life-long dream to be a police officer.

Tonn, who was sworn into the small Galt Police Department three and a half years ago, was killed Tuesday while investigating a reported burglary. The man suspected of shooting him, 30-year-old Humphrey Gascon, then shot himself.

Bee Metro Staff

The Sacramento region's law enforcement community and members of the public are gathering to say farewell today to slain Galt Police Officer Kevin Tonn, 35, who was shot and killed last week as he struggled with a man believed to be a burglary suspect.

LIVE UPDATES, PHOTOS: See the Twitter feed of Bee reporter Kim Minugh.

Funeral services for the officer will start at 11 a.m. today at Adventure Christian Church, 6401 Stanford Ranch Road, Roseville.

Afterward, a procession will travel from the church to East Lawn Memorial Park, 5757 Greenback Lane, where Tonn will be laid to rest.

A man convicted of first-degree murder for fatally shooting a man during an attempted carjacking has been sentenced to 38 years to life in prison.

A Sacramento County jury in October found Taurus Aquarius Baker, 23, guilty of the February 2006 murder of Joseph Wayne Bush, with the special circumstance that the crime was committed during an attempted robbery, as well as an unrelated 2009 robbery in Elk Grove, according to a District Attorney's Office news release. Baker was sentenced today by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Steve White.

Authorities said that Baker shot and killed Bush, 38, about 1 p.m. in a shopping center parking lot at 6051 Mack Road in south Sacramento. They said Bush had dropped his young son off at a nearby school shortly before he was murdered.

A Sacramento man was shot to death while in an SUV last night in Rosemont.

Alexander Brian Chavez, 21, was found unresponsive in the driver's seat of a Chevrolet Suburban by Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies who responded to reports of shots fired about 6:30 p.m.

His sport utility vehicle was stopped in the roadway, facing northbound on Westporter Drive at Lilibet Avenue. A female passenger inside the SUV at the time of the shooting was uninjured.

Sacramento police are investigating the fatal shooting of a person in Oak Park this afternoon.

The shooting was reported about 12:45 p.m. in the 3100 block of 39th Street, just south of Broadway. The victim was transported to the UC Davis Medical Center and then pronounced dead.

Officer Doug Morse said the victim is in his late teens or early 20s. He was shot multiple times. Police are unsure whether multiple gunmen were involved in the shooting.

According to police radio traffic, police were looking for a white Chevy minivan believed to have been involved in the shooting. The minivan was reported to have fled southbound on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and then westbound on 9th Avenue.

PHOTO CREDIT: Kim Minugh, Sacramento Bee.

An 18-year-old is in jail on suspicion of homicide after the stabbing death of another young man last night in El Dorado County.

El Dorado County sheriff's deputies said they responded to the area of Brown's Road and Cold Springs Road, just north of Placerville, about 4 p.m. Wednesday where they were told a person had been stabbed.

They were also told that the person who stabbed 20-year-old Matthew Steele of Auburn had fled on foot. Paramedics arrived and transferred Steele to Marshall Hospital where he died about two hours later.

Deputies took Wesley Hampshire, 18, of Placerville into custody at his home on Brown's Road. He was later booked into county jail on suspicion of homicide.

Details on what lead up to the stabbing were not available.

PHOTO CAPTION: Wesley Ronald Hampshire

The man accused of fatally shooting a Galt police officer before turning the gun on himself Tuesday has been identified as 30-year-old Humphrey Kenneth Gascon.

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department confirmed earlier today that Gascon was not the burglary suspect the officer, Kevin Tonn, pictured at left, had been seeking.

Authorities said Tonn was in the area of F and Third streets after a burglary was reported in the area about 11:30 a.m. He attempted to make contact with a man walking in the area, who then struggled with the officer before shooting him. The coroner's office this afternoon identified that man as Gascon.

After further investigation, authorities said today, detectives learned the burglary was allegedly committed by a family member of the victim, and that the suspected gunman was not related to that incident.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Is there any update on the triple homicide that happened in Rancho Cordova a couple of months back? Last I heard, Denis Bukhantsov's brother was in custody. What has happened since he was arrested?
Submitted by: Sunshine, Sacramento

ANSWER: Grigoriy Bukhantsov, 20, remains in Sacramento County Jail awaiting trial for the October slaying of his sister-in-law and two of her children.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Several years ago there was a homicide at the pool hall then located at Arden and Ethan. Three young Vietnamese men were charged with murder relating to gang activity. In a trial, two were found guilty. There was a hung jury on the third defendant. What happened to the three of them?
Submitted by: ET, Sacramento

ANSWER: Three people, including a 17-year-old, were arrested in the shooting death of 18-year-old Southalay Vongsedone outside the Hot Shots Billiard Parlor on Arden Way on April 10, 1998.

Sacramento County sheriff's homicide detectives are seeking the public's help in identifying the occupants of a vehicle that was near the scene of a fatal shooting early Saturday.

The vehicle is described as a light-colored, full-size, standard cab pickup. It is not considered a "suspect vehicle" in the case, but detectives believe the occupants may have information that could be helpful in solving the case, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

Shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday, deputies responded to a vehicle accident at 65th and S streets in the city of Sacramento. They discovered that one of the vehicle's occupants, a 20-year-old woman, had suffered a fatal gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

Hand digging at a Linden well site thought to contain the remains of murder victims has been delayed for at least a week to allow for continued site preparation work.

A team searching for victims of serial killers Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog continued its work for a seventh day at the site of a filled-in well on private agricultural land off Flood Road.

The team of FBI personnel and technical experts encountered its first challenge last week while boring the well site to clarify the depth of the well. The initial estimated depth was derived from a variety of comparative data and sources, but the team has not been able to pinpoint the historic bottom of the well with certainty, according to an FBI news release.

A 20-year-old woman was found shot to death at the scene of a car accident early this morning, authorities said.

Sacramento Police responded to an accident at 65th and S Streets around 3 a.m. and found the woman in one of the vehicles involved in the accident. The victim had gunshot wounds to the upper body and was pronounced dead on the scene, according to reports. Three other individuals who were involved in the collision were detained by police for questioning. No one was hurt in the accident.

Sacramento County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Jason Ramos said the woman was likely shot at a different location and that she was being transported to the hospital. Authorities are investigating a possible connection to an earlier report of shots being fired on Watt Avenue in the Arden-Arcade area.

Anyone having information pertinent to this case is asked to call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at (916) 874-5115. Tip information may also be left anonymously at www.sacsheriff.com, by texting to 274637 (CRIMES) and entering the keyword SSD, or by calling (916) 874-TIPS (8477).

Citrus Heights police report that warrant has been issued for the arrest of Andrew Les Johnson (pictured), 29, in connection with a Jan. 5 homicide.

Officers responded to the 6300 block of Stonehand Avenue about 6:28 a.m. regarding medical aid for an individual who had been struck with an unknown object. They found the victim unconscious outside of his residence. He was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced.

Police said the victim -- identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as Jack Swaim, 52 -- had been stabbed multiple times.

Investigation in the case continues. Anyone with information regarding the incident for Johnson's whereabouts is asked to call the Citrus Heights Police Department at (916) 727-5500.

Four days after beginning excavation of a Linden-area well site in a search for the remains of murder victims, the FBI reported that the bottom of the filled-in well has been located.

The well site is on privately owned agricultural land off Flood Road. A team of FBI personnel and technical experts hope the excavation will yield remains of victims of serial killers Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog.

It had been estimated that the bottom of the well would be located at 50 feet, but today the bottom was located more than 200 feet below the surface of the team's operational area, according to an FBI news release. Unfortunately, officials said, the bottom of the well contains water that must be drained so a camera can get a better view of what may be in the deepest reaches of the well.

Police are on the lookout for "Al Capone" Jordon in connection with the killing of another man two years ago in Sacramento.

On Halloween 2010, Sacramento police responded to an apartment in the 2000 block of Harris Avenue in Del Paso Heights where they found Stanley Lofton dead in the doorway.

An investigation resulted in the arrest of two suspects and the identification of a third, 25-year-old Altreon Capone Jordon, also known as Al Capone. He remains at large and may be in the Sacramento region, according to police.

He is considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-4357. Callers may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.

PHOTO CAPTION: Altreon Capone Jordon

A team excavating a Linden-area well site in a search for remains of murder victims postponed hand digging and sifting activities, which were expected to have begun today.

The work, undertaken by a team of FBI personnel and technical experts, began Monday. They are searching the site on private agricultural land off Flood Road for victims of serial killers Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog.

At the close of operations on Tuesday, test boring indicated that the bottom of the well, which had been filled in, had not been reached, despite a test bore that extended to a depth of 75 feet below the opening of the well.

Examination of soil brought to the surface during the boring process and exploration with a camera inserted in the bore site revealed that only fill dirt had been reached, according to an FBI news release. Officials said no refuse, remains or other materials were present, and the hard pan bottom of the well had yet to be reached.

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested in connection with the death of a man found in a vehicle in Rancho Cordova last week with a gunshot wound.

The suspect was taken into custody near the scene of the crime earlier today and was booked into Sacramento County Juvenile Hall on suspicion of murder, according to a Sheriff's Department news release. Authorities did not release the youth's name because he is a juvenile.

Shortly before 8 a.m. Jan. 2, Rancho Cordova police officers responded to the area of White Rock Road near Laurel Crest Drive regarding a report of an unresponsive man inside a vehicle. They found 29-year-old Lucas Esteban-Enrique, who had been shot while driving down the street. He was transported to a hospital, where he died the following evening.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What was the outcome in the 1991 killing of Rickey Campbell at Warner's nightclub in Oak Park?
Submitted by: Robert, Sacramento

ANSWER: Richard Campbell, 22, of Sacramento died after suffering a gunshot wound in a fight at Warner's Rendezvous club on Stockton Boulevard in February 1992.

A team of FBI personnel and technical experts today continued site preparation work at an old well in Linden in a search for victims of serial killers Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog.

The work began Monday on private agricultural land off Flood Road. The San Joaquin County Department of Public Works cleared an approximately 40-foot square site and began excavating an operational area with heavy equipment, according to an FBI news release. Officials reported that well walls were located.

At the close of operations today, a 10-foot-by-13-foot area had been excavated to a depth of 10 feet to allow safety devices to be installed for operations within the well. A core sample of the interior of the well also was bored to determine the soil conditions and possibly locate the bottom of the old, filled-in well.

Citrus Heights police officials have released new information about the confrontation that led an officer to fatally shoot a suspected car thief.

About 2 a.m. Thursday, police responded to the 8000 block of Debbie Ann Court after a report of a car burglary in progress by two suspects.

According to updated information from the Police Department, the first officer to arrive on scene located one of the suspects, who, in a confrontation with the officer, ignored officer's commands to show his hands.

A 70-year-old woman has been arrested after a man -- identified Tuesday as her husband --was found dead with an apparent gunshot wound at their El Dorado County home.

Colleen Ann Harris was booked Monday into El Dorado County Jail on suspicion of murder.

Deputies on Sunday responded to the 3200 block of Wilderness Court in the Hanks Exchange area south of Placerville after receiving a report of a homicide. Upon arriving, they met with Harris, then entered the home and found a man who appeared to have sustained a fatal gunshot wound, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.

He was identified by the sheriff's department Tuesday as the woman's spouse, 72-year-old Robert Edward Harris.

Homicide detectives, crime scene investigators and coroner detectives were summoned, and sheriff's officials said investigation of the death continues. No details have been released regarding the circumstances of the shooting.

Accused Old Sacramento gunman Carlito Montoya is scheduled to appear with his two alleged accomplices in Sacramento Superior Court on Tuesday; but it does not appear he will be able to speak at the hearing.

Montoya, 22, has his jaw wired shut, a security guard at the Sacramento County Main Jail told The Bee today after a reporter requested an interview. Montoya is being housed on the jail's medical floor because of injuries he suffered in the deadly New Year's Eve melee.

Sacramento police allege Montoya fatally shot two men and injured two people after a fight broke out at the Sports Corner Cafe that night. After quickly being detained by officers, Montoya was treated at a local hospital for multiple gunshot wounds he received when a security guard intervened, police say. He was booked into the jail late Friday night.

Amber Scholz, 36, is accused of instigating the argument that turned physical and then escalated into the shooting. Her husband, Charles Fowler-Scholz, 34, is accused of being a part of that fight.

Scholz and her husband are being held in lieu of $1 million bail each and are expected to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon on charges of assault with a deadly weapon. Montoya, who is being held without bail, is expected to be arraigned on charges of murder, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.

Killed in the shooting were Gabriel Cordova, 35, and Daniel Ferrier, 36, a bar employee who tried to intervene. Injured were Cordova's wife, Christina, 30, and the security guard, Stephen Walton, 46.

The alleged gunman in the fatal bar shooting on New Year's Eve and two other people arrested on assault charges are scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday.

Carlito Montoya, 22, is accused of killing a fellow bar patron and a bar employee in a shootout in Old Sacramento.

Montoya and two other suspects, acquaintances Amber Scholz, 36, and her husband, Charles Fowler-Scholz, 34, will be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday on charges related to their alleged roles in the deadly violence.

Montoya sustained gunshot wounds at the hands of a security guard who intervened after Montoya allegedly shot three people, killing two of them.

Montoya and the guard, 46-year-old Stephen Walton, both suffered injuries when they exchanged gunfire. Walton is expected to survive.

By Kim Minugh
kminugh@sacbee.com

FBI officials in Sacramento announced this morning that they will begin excavating a new site in San Joaquin County's Linden area in hopes of finding remains of victims of serial killers Wesley Shermantine and Loren Herzog, pictured at left.

Herb Brown, special agent in charge of the FBI's Sacramento office, said there is no guarantee that investigators will find remains. However, officials are hopeful based on information gathered so far in the investigation.

The excavation of an old well is expected to take two-to-three weeks. During that time, Flood Road will be closed to the public.

Brown said the FBI is being assisted by a number of agencies, engineers and excavation experts.

Call The Bee's Kim Minugh, (916) 321-1038. Follow her on Twitter @kim_minugh.

Placer County Sheriff's deputies said an Auburn resident committed suicide after he shot a man who then drove himself to the hospital.

Deputies found a man dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the head at his home on Bald Hill Road about 4 a.m. Sunday. Several callers reported hearing gunshots in the vicinity.

The man found dead on Bald Hill Road is believed to have shot another man while the victim was sitting in a car, according to a sheriff's department press release.

A Citrus Heights man is dead after being struck with an unknown object, the second homicide in the city in 12 hours.

However, though close in proximity and in timing, Citrus Heights police say the two incidents are not related.

Police responded to the 6300 block of Stonehand Avenue on a medical call involving a person struck with an unknown object, according to a police news release. There, they found the victim unconscious outside of his house.

The man fatally shot in a car parked outside a McDonald's in Citrus Heights on Friday night has been identified as 28-year-old Baron Seidel.

About 6 p.m., police responded to the 7800 block of Lichen Drive after reports of a shooting. There, they found a man, now identified as Seidel, inside a parked vehicle with a gunshot wound.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene.

The suspect fatally shot by a Citrus Heights police officer Wednesday has been identified as 20-year-old Hunter Todd.

Police also have identified the suspect who was with Todd at the time as 36-year-old Richard Martin Duran. Duran was arrested on suspicion of attempted car theft, burglary of a car and possession of burglary tools, according to a police news release.

Duran also had two warrants out for his arrest, one for possession of burglary tools and the other for a traffic matter, police said.

Sacramento police have arrested two additional people in connection with the fatal New Year's Eve shooting in Old Sacramento.

They said Amber Scholz (left photo), 36, and her husband Charles Fowler-Scholz (right photo), 34, were associated with Carlito Montoya and were arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon in the incident.

Police said Amber Scholz is believed to have instigated the altercation and her husband was allegedly involved in the fight that preceded the deadly shooting. No further details were available.

The shooting occurred at the Sports Corner Cafe. Gabriel Cordova, a patron, and Daniel Ferrier, a bar employee, were killed and three other people were wounded, including Cordova's wife and Montoya.

One man is dead following a shooting this evening in Citrus Heights.

Police spokesman Officer Bryan Fritsch said officers responded at 6 p.m. to a report of an assault with a firearm in the 7800 block of Lichen Drive, near Antelope Road. When they arrived, they found a man dead inside a vehicle in a McDonalds parking lot.

Fristch said investigators believe the shooting was an isolated incident and that the parties involved may have known each other.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What was the outcome of the juvenile that killed a sheriff's deputy a couple years ago around Christmas time? It was in Sacramento County during the daytime, and I believe the deputies were at a drug house.
Submitted by: Andrea,Sacramento

ANSWER: Jimmy Siackasorn was convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Sacramento County Sheriff's Detective Vu Nguyen.

A Sacramento jury convicted Nathaniel Carter in the shooting death of another man two years ago in a pot robbery attempt.

The jury returned the verdict against Carter on Thursday, finding him guilty of first degree murder and attempted robbery in the Oct. 29, 2010 homicide of Steven Carmassi.

Carter, with co-defendants Latice Collins and DeJohng Taylor, tried to rob Carmassi at gunpoint as he sat in his truck in the parking lot of a supermarket on Garfield Avenue near Madison Avenue and Interstate 80.

When Carmassi tried to drive away, Carter shot him in the chest through the driver's side window. During trial, a witness described Carmassi as the "weed dealer to the weed dealers" in her neighborhood.

Collins pleaded guilty to first degree murder and attempted robbery before jury selection began. He will receive a sentence of 26 years to life in prison, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney press release.

Taylor pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and will receive a sentence of a maximum of 12 years in prison.

Carter faces a possible sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 8.

A Rancho Cordova man shot in his car on Wednesday has died, according to the Sacramento County Coroner's office.

Lucas Esteban-Enrique, 29, was found behind the wheel of his car near the intersection of White Rock Road and Laurelhurst Drive about 8 a.m. Wednesday. When deputies arrived on the scene they found Esteban-Enrique's car stopped against a curb.

He was unresponsive behind the wheel and when paramedics removed him from the car it was discovered he had a gunshot wound. He was transported to a hospital and died at 6:50 p.m. Thursday.

Deputies canvassed the neighborhood to come up with any information that might lead them to a suspect. Deputies learned there were several gunshots heard before the car was found rolled to a stop at the curb.

A sheriff's spokesman said they have no suspects.

By Kim Minugh and Sam Stanton
kminugh@sacbee.com

The couple shot during a fight in an Old Sacramento bar on New Year's Eve has been identified by family and friends as Gabriel and Christina Cordova.

Gabriel Cordova, 35, was fatally wounded in the melee, in which another man was killed and a security guard wounded. His wife, 30-year-old Christina, was treated for a gunshot wound to the lower body that was not life-threatening.

The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has identified the Sports Corner Cafe employee fatally shot when he tried to intervene as 36-year-old Daniel Ferrier of Placerville.

A security guard who exchanged gunfire with the suspect was injured but survived, and has not been identified.

The man found shot to death in a south Sacramento park early Monday has been identified by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office as 49-year-old Clark Jay Hammer.

A caller told dispatchers shortly before 2 a.m. Monday that he had been shot and was in a park near Florin Mall Drive, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department. Deputies tracked the call location to the 6000 block of Orange Avenue and found Hammer with a gunshot wound to his upper body in Sheldon Park.

Hammer was declared dead at 2:08 a.m. from homicide, according to the coroner's report.

By Bill Lindelof and Denny Walsh
blindelof@sacbee.com

Workers today began cleaning up a trail of blood on the boardwalk in Old Sacramento - the site of a barroom shootout that brought an abrupt halt to the city's New Year's eve festivities.

Two people died and three others were injured in the melee at the Sports Corner Cafe at 1030 2nd St. in the historic district. One of the injured men was taken into custody. The midnight fireworks show was then canceled. Police blocked the entrances to Old Sacramento and urged the crowd, which included many families who had come for a 9 p.m. fireworks show, to leave.

As of Tuesday evening, Sacramento Police had not identified any of those involved.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What was the story on Jasmine Street in Del Paso Heights a few years ago when Donald T. Wright shot and killed his neighbor next door. How much time did he receive and what prison is he in?
Submitted by: Tina, Sacramento

ANSWER: Donald Thomas Wright was convicted of second-degree murder in the November 1999 shooting death of Edward Castro Sanchez.

A man was found shot to death in a south Sacramento-area park near Highway 99 and Florin Road early this morning.

About 2 a.m., a caller told dispatchers that he had been shot and was in a park near Florin Mall Drive. No other details were provided.

Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies tracked the call to the 6000 block of Orange Avenue. While searching on foot, deputies found a man in his late 40s suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper body in Sheldon Park.

The man fatally shot in north Sacramento on Thursday morning has been identified as 50-year-old Leander Bruce Bell.

Bell was standing on the sidewalk on Las Palmas Avenue, near Norwood Avenue, about 11:30 a.m. when a vehicle pulled up near him, according to Sacramento police. An unknown gunman fired from inside the vehicle, which then sped away, police said.

No suspects have been identified in the killing.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Was anyone caught in the killing of Emanuel Dennis Adams on March 30, 1989?
Submitted by: Albert White, Sacramento

ANSWER: Anthony Mial was arrested in the fatal stabbing of Emanuel Dennis Adams, 34, of Del Paso Heights.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What happened to the suspects in the 2005 killing of Donald Willis in the Arden area?
Submitted by: James, Sacramento

ANSWER: Four men were arrested for the execution-style killing of 21-year-old Donald Larnell Willis at his Arden-area duplex in May 2005.

By Anne Gonzales
and Bill Lindelof
agonzales@sacbee.com

A man standing on a sidewalk in a Del Paso Heights neighborhood was shot and killed Thursday morning, Sacramento police said.

Police received reports of shots being fired in 600 block of Las Palmas Avenue about 11:30 a.m., and responding officers found an African-American male in his 50s with multiple gunshot wounds, said Officer Doug Morse.

Witnesses told police the victim was standing near the street, when a vehicle drove up near him, and someone opened fire. The shooting suspect then fled in the vehicle.

The man who was fatally shot Saturday morning as he allegedly tried to break into a Pocket area home has been identified as 31-year-old Joseph Merjil.

Sacramento police allege that Merjil and other suspects attempted to rob a homeowner on Haven Court about 3:30 a.m. Gunfire was exchanged between the two sides, and Merjil was fatally injured.

Three other people, including the homeowner, suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Arrested in the aftermath of the shooting was 21-year-old Thomas Ordonaz. He was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and being an accessory after the fact, according to Sacramento police.

Police have not disclosed how many suspects were involved in the home-invasion or whether there are any suspects outstanding.

A man who was fatally shot in a home invasion robbery in Sacramento's Pocket neighborhood early Saturday morning has been identified by the Coroner's Office as 31-year-old Joseph Merjil of Sacramento.

According to police, Merjil was one of the intruders. Three other people were wounded.

Police earlier identified one of the other alleged intruders as Thomas Ordonaz, 21. Ordonaz was arrested Saturday night for investigation of assault with a deadly weapon.

By Denny Walsh
dwalsh@sacbee.com

The Sacramento Police Department has announced the arrest of one suspect in the home invasion robbery that left one person dead three other people wounded early today in the Pocket neighborhood of Sacramento.

Thomas Ordonaz, 21, (pictured) was arrested about 18 hours after the gunfire erupted. He was booked for investigation of assault with a deadly weapon and being an accessory, authorities said.

By 10 p.m., no other people in the shooting had been identified, pending the results of a preliminary investigation, according to department police spokesman Officer Doug Morse.

The man fatally shot during an argument in Meadowview last night has been identified as 23-year-old Sherrick Melson, according to the Sacramento County Coroner's Office.

When Sacramento police arrived to the 2700 block of Meadowview Road about 11 p.m. they found a man in his early 20s dead on the ground near an apartment house, police said.

Homicide detectives and crime scene investigators are investigating the killing, which police said appeared to follow an argument. As of late last night, they had no motive and no suspects have been arrested.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What was the outcome of the trial of the other four defendants in the killing of the gentleman at the motel on Auburn Boulevard in 2009 or 2010? Did anyone else get convictions?
Submitted by: Motown, Sacramento

ANSWER: The trial date for four defendants in the May 2010 shooting death of 29-year-old Marcel Hatch has been postponed several times.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What happened to the suspects in a 1997 murder-robbery in Oak Park on 42nd Street and 11th Avenue?
Submitted by: James, Sacramento

ANSWER: Three people were arrested and tried in the October 1997 shooting death of 16-year-old Andrew McKissack and wounding of two other men in what police described as a dispute over drugs and money.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: I would like to know the names and how much time the three men got for the killing of Ricky Collier on Dec. 10, 2000, in G Parkway.
Submitted by: Teia, Sacramento

ANSWER: Three men were arrested and sentenced to prison in the fatal shooting of 31-year-old Ricky Collier.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: On March 26, 2006, a young man 18 years of age was shot 10 times by five different caliber weapons, witnessed by several individuals that were there attending the house party. Was anyone arrested?
Submitted by: Clever, Sacramento

ANSWER: Three people were tried and one was found guilty of murder in the March 26, 2006 shooting death of Hector Manuel Barrera, 25, at a a birthday party at his Southside Park home on U Street.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: Sometime in the early '90s, a young man named DeVarr Williams was killed in Lincoln Village. What were the details?
Submitted by: Rich, Citrus Heights

ANSWER: DeVarr Williams died in February 1994, a week after he was shot as he stood outside a liquor store in the Lincoln Village area.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: In the late '90s, a coworker broke into a home in south Sacramento, assaulted a young woman and attacked her grandmother with a machete. What was the outcome of his trial?
Submitted by: P.S., Sacramento

ANSWER: Tamecus Reed was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole for the machete murder of 81-year-old Soledad Abogado and rape of her 23-year-old granddaughter.

Sacramento County sheriff's deputies have arrested three men in connection with the fatal shooting of a man in his Wilton home nearly two months ago.

Detectives allege the men shot the victim, 60-year-old Kelly McClurg, during an attempt to rob him of marijuana, according to the Sheriff's Department.

The suspects were acquaintances of the victim, officials said.

A woman already doing time for strangling and beating her 6-year-old step-daughter had a life sentenced added to her term as a result of her no-contest plea to a murder charge filed after the little girl died of her injuries six years after the initial attack.

Weili Kao, 43, received the added 15-to-life prison term Wednesday from Sacramento Superior Court Judge Patrick Marlette for killing Truly Lo.

Kao beat the little girl and grabbed her by the neck while disciplining her on May 11, 2004. The girl fell into a persistent vegetative state and Kao was convicted and sentenced the next year for felony child abuse.

Sacramento prosecutors filed murder charges agaisnt Kao after Lo died on Dec. 21, 2010. Kao entered her plea to the second-degree murder charge on Dec. 3.

An El Dorado County man was killed in gunfire last night in an officer-involved shooting.

The dead man was identified as Christopher Michael Sheldon, 38, of Pollock Pines.

The incident began when the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office dispatch center received a call about 9:30 p.m. Wednesday from a resident in the 2900 block of Kimberly Lane in Pollock Pines. The caller said that a man at the residence was threatening to shoot himself.

A 31-year-old man who called 911 Sunday to report that his uncle had been shot and killed in the driveway of his Herald home was arrested tonight on suspicion of murder.

Jerry King was taken into custody shortly after 6:30 p.m. by detectives from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Major Crime Bureau. Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Jason Ramos said King is being interviewed by investigators and will be booked into the county's main jail.

Deputies responded to a residence in the 13000 block of Purvis Road in Herald shortly before 4:30 p.m. Sunday. The caller, later identified as King, said that someone had been shot in the driveway of the home. When deputies arrived, they found a 50-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his chest lying in the driveway outside the house. He was pronounced dead by paramedics.

Bee reporters answer questions about area crime news, trends and other issues.

QUESTION: What happened to the murder of Pablo Martin? He was shot by Oscar Ceballos, his brother-in-law at the time.
Submitted by: Araceli Diaz, Sacramento

ANSWER: Oscar Ceballos was sentenced to 21 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter in the April 27, 2009 shooting death of Pablo Martin.

By Mark Glover
mglover@sacbee.com

A 50-year-old man visiting his nephew was gunned down outside the nephew's home this afternoon in the south Sacramento County community of Herald.

Sacramento County Sheriff's Department spokesman Sgt. Jason Ramos said the victim was shot and killed around 4:30 p.m. in a rural area in the 13000 block of Purvis Road, just east of central Herald and north of the Sacramento-San Joaquin county line.

Ramos said the victim was not an area resident but did make periodic trips to Herald to visit his nephew.