Three suspects arrested in connection with the murder of 37-year-old Javier Alcantar Limon of Santa Maria are being charged with murder with several special allegations tacked on, including lying in wait, kidnapping, torture, and committing the crime for criminal street gang purposes.
Gregorio Agustine, 26; Yesenia Granados, 24; and Arturo Granados, 22, all of Santa Maria, were arrested in September. They appeared at an arraignment hearing on Oct. 27, which was continued to Oct. 31. The suspects didn’t enter pleas on Oct. 27, but defense attorneys filed a motion to compel discovery.
“They were asking the court to order us to hand over discovery,” said Cynthia Gresser, who’s prosecuting the case for the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office.
She said the defense already has some discovery materials.
A press release from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office said that detectives have been investigating the murder of Limon for the past two months. He was found on Aug. 19 near the entrance to the Guadalupe Dunes with multiple gunshot wounds.
Detectives determined that the homicide is related to alleged criminal street gang and drug activity.
Agustine has also been charged with possession of ammunition and possession of drugs for sale. Yesenia was also charged with a probation violation for drug possession.
This article appears in Oct 30 – Nov 5, 2014.