Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Man accused of killing girlfriend arrested in Tijuana

Stabbing in front of woman's children happened earlier this month.

By DENISSE SALAZAR
The Orange County Register
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PLACENTIA – A parolee wanted on suspicion of fatally stabbing his estranged girlfriend in her home in front of their two children was arrested Monday by Mexican authorities and was turned over to Placentia detectives this morning.

Miguel Alexander Vargas, 25, is accused of stabbing to death 23-year-old Annette Angelina Alvarado of Placentia earlier this month.

Detectives were notified at 11:30 p.m. Monday by the California Department of Justice that Vargas had been detained by Tijuana, Mexico, police earlier in the evening, Placentia police Lt. Eric Point said.

Vargas was turned over to detectives at the U.S. border at San Ysidro. He is being held at the Orange County Jail on murder and carjacking charges and is ineligible for bail, Point said.

At the time of his arrest, Vargas was driving the Acura RSX he carjacked from a friend following the brutal attack, Point said.

The slaying occurred Feb. 5 in a single-family home in the 1600 block of La Paloma Avenue near North Van Buren Street, police said.

Alvarado was stabbed several times, mostly in the back of the neck, as her 4-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son witnessed the stabbing. She was taken to Placentia Linda Hospital, where she later died, said Corinne Loomis, a Placentia police spokeswoman.

The children said, "(Daddy) came in and stabbed Mom," Loomis said.

According to police, Vargas was driven to Alvarado's home by a friend who waited outside in his Acura RSX while Vargas went inside. Alvarado was in the bedroom with her children when Vargas walked into the home, police said.

Alvarado's father was watching television in a back shed and ran into the house when he heard his daughter screaming. He chased Vargas out of the home, police said.

Vargas forced his friend out of his 2003 Acura RSX and drove away, police said.

Court records show a protective order was filed against Vargas after he was arrested Jan. 27 for causing corporal injury to his girlfriend. He pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor count and was scheduled to appear in court Feb. 25 to show proof of enrollment in a batterer-treatment program, said Farrah Emami, a District Attorney's Office spokeswoman.

Vargas has had other run-ins with the law, ranging from gang crimes to traffic violations to drug convictions, court records show.

Vargas was sentenced to serve one year in state prison on Nov. 21. 2008, after he violated his probation for driving under the influence of alcohol. His probation stemmed from a 2007 case in which he pleaded guilty to a felony gang-related assault, criminal street gang vandalism and criminal street gang-use of offensive language to provoke reaction, according to court records.

Vargas did not serve his sentence in state prison because he received credit for serving time in jail, court records show.

In 2006, he pleaded guilty on two separate cases to driving without a valid driver's license, failure to provide proof of financial responsibility and failure to register vehicle.

In 2005, and twice in 2006, Vargas pleaded guilty to falsely representing himself to an officer.

And in 2002, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance, according to court records.

The Anaheim Police Department Crime Task Force and the California Department of Justice Foreign Prosecution Unit assisted in the investigation.

Contact the writer: 714-704-3709 or desalazar@ocregister.com

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/varg ... ia-pleaded