| For Immediate Release Case # 09CF2301 March 16, 2012 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami |
MAN SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR MURDER AND ATTEMPTED MURDER OF TWO MEN IN HUMAN TRAFFICKING EXCHANGE
*Defendant’s father was convicted is awaiting sentencing in this case
SANTA ANA – A man was sentenced today to 25 years to life in state prison for the 2000 murder and attempted murder of two in a human trafficking exchange. Huber Juarez Vasquez, 39, Woodburn, OR, was found guilty by a jury June 15, 2011, of one felony count of second degree murder, one felony count of attempted murder, with a sentencing enhancement for the personal discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury.
Vasquez’s father, Manuel Hernandez Juarez, 61, Riverside, was also convicted in this case. Juarez was found guilty by a jury June 15, 2011, of one felony count of murder with a sentencing enhancement for the personal discharge of a firearm causing death. He faces a maximum sentence of 57 years to life in state prison at his sentencing April 13, 2012, at 9:00 a.m. in Department C-29, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
Prior to 2000, Juarez, who was living in Santa Ana, purchased two firearms by stealing a person’s identity and obtaining a California driver’s license. In 2000, Juarez arranged with Victor Camacho and Jose Luz Garcia to have Vasquez transported illegally from Mexico into the United States for approximately $1,500.
On April 6, 2000, Camacho and Garcia transported Vasquez with several other undocumented immigrants from Mexico to the United States in exchange for money. Juarez arrived armed with two firearms to the exchange location in Santa Ana. After Camacho and Garcia arrived with Vasquez and the other immigrants, Juarez armed Vasquez with a firearm to shoot the victims to avoid paying the $1,500 fee. Juarez shot Camacho one time in the chest, murdering him. Vasquez fired at Garcia, shooting him one time in the abdomen.
The defendants fled the scene. Witnesses who heard the gunshots called 911 and Santa Ana Police Department (SAPD) officers responded to the scene. Garcia was transported to the hospital and treated for the gunshot wound inflicted by Vasquez. SAPD investigated the case but it went cold.
In 2009, SAPD cold case detectives re-opened the case investigation, conducting follow-up including fingerprint analysis and witness interviews. During the investigation, SAPD detectives learned Juarez had been in federal custody for several years on unrelated charges and was due to be released on Sept. 16, 2009. On Sept. 16, 2009, Juarez was arrested by SAPD as he was being released from federal custody and transported to Orange County to face charges. That same day, Vasquez was located and arrested in Oregon.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Larry Yellin of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.
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