Illegal immigrant accused of murdering California cop faces judge
5 hrs ago
By Elizabeth Zwirz | Fox News
The illegal immigrant accused of gunning down a California police officer last month appeared in court for the first time on Wednesday.
Gustavo Perez Arriaga, who prosecutors said was charged with murder in the death of Cpl. Ronil Singh of the Newman Police Department, did not enter a plea during the hearing.
Arriaga's attorney, Stephen Foley, told the judge they believe the suspect's real name is Paulo Mendoza
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he suspect accused of killing Newman Police Cpl. Ronil Singh made his first appearance in court on Wednesday. (Sketch artist Vicki Behringer)
The suspect’s attorney questioned his client’s competency to stand trial, after which the judge suspended proceedings and ordered a doctor's evaluation. The parties are due back in court next month.
Arriaga did not speak during the court proceedings and was given assistance throughout by an interpreter. No one in the courtroom, which was filled with members of the Newman Police Department as well as relatives of the defendant and the police officer, seemed to offer any reaction.
Arriaga was taken into custody on Friday, days after Singh was killed.
The suspect, who is from Mexico, was in the country illegally after previously crossing the Arizona border, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson revealed following Arriaga's apprehension.
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The suspect had sought to cross back over the border before the shooting unfolded, Christianson said, adding that Arriaga had known gang affiliations and two prior DUI arrests.
Singh was shot and killed during a traffic stop just before 1 a.m. last Wednesday in Newman, about 100 miles southeast of San Francisco, according to police.
The suspect was stopped by the officer for a DUI investigation before engaging in a gunfight, during which Singh tried to defend himself, Christianson said.
Following Arriaga's arrest, U.S. immigration officials confirmed that they had no contact with him until his arrest.
Singh was a native of Fiji and left behind a wife and 5-month-old son. The officer, who joined the force in the summer of 2011, legally emigrated to the U.S. to pursue his goal to become a police officer, Newman Police Chief Randy Richardson reflected during an exclusive interview Sunday on "Fox & Friends."
"That's what actually made him stand out, the day I did the interview with him, is his devotion for this profession," Richardson said. "He told me he came here solely to be a police officer and be a part of this country, to protect what was given and allowed to him."
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Man pleads not guilty to killing Northern California officer
By Associated Press April 11 at 8:08 PM
MODESTO, Calif. — A man suspected of being in the country illegally has pleaded not guilty to killing a Northern California police officer during a traffic stop in a case that has rekindled a debate over California’s sanctuary law that limits law enforcement’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
An attorney for Paulo Virgen Mendoza entered the not guilty plea to a murder charge in Stanislaus Superior Court, the Modesto Bee reported Thursday. Mendoza is charged with fatally shooting Newman Police Officer Cpl. Ronil Singh on Dec. 26.
Investigators say Singh suspected Mendoza of drunken driving.
Authorities say Mendoza was in the country illegally and was fleeing back to his native Mexico when he was arrested two days after Singh’s killing near Bakersfield.
President Donald Trump seized on the case to call for tougher border security amid a fight with congressional Democrats over funding for a border wall, which has forced a partial government shutdown.
The sheriff leading the investigation blamed California’s sanctuary law for preventing local authorities from reporting Gustavo Perez Arriaga to U.S. immigration officials for two previous drunken driving arrests. If he had been deported, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson said, Cpl. Ronil Singh of the tiny Newman Police Department would still be alive.
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File - In this Jan. 5, 2019, file photo, a picture of slain Newman Police Cpl. Ronil “Ron” Singh rests atop the casket during his funeral in Modesto, Calif. Paulo Virgen Mendoza pleaded not guilty to killing the Northern California police officer during a traffic stop. The Modesto Bee reported Thursday, April 11, 2019, that an attorney for Mendoza entered the not guilty plea to a murder charge in Stanislaus Superior Court. Mendoza is charged with fatally shooting Singh on Dec. 26. (Noah Berger, File/Associated Press)
The case was put on hold in January to determine if Mendoza was mentally fit to stand trial. On Thursday, a judge determined he was competent to stand trial after Mendoza was examined by a psychiatrist.
Mendoza is still identified in Stanislaus County jail records as Gustavo Perez Arriaga, an alias that he used when arrested. But he’s referred to in court by his given name.
Prosecutors say Mendoza is eligible for the death penalty.
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