Thread: San Diego: Teen pleads guilty in July murder of border agent

Teen pleads guilty in July murder of border agent

By ELLIOT SPAGAT (AP) – 1 hour ago

SAN DIEGO — A 17-year-old Mexican immigrant has pleaded guilty in San Diego to murdering a Border Patrol agent who was shot eight times in July.

The U.S. attorney's office said Christian Daniel Castro Alvarez entered the plea Friday in federal court. Prosecutors say the teenager admitted entering the United States illegally from Mexico to rob a Border Patrol agent of government property.

Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas was shot four times in the head the night of July 23 near Campo, east of San Diego. He was also shot once in the neck and three times in the torso.

Authorities say the defendant lured Rosas out of his car and struggled with him over a firearm.

Castro Alvarez faces a maximum penalty of life in prison when he is sentenced Feb. 19.


www.google.com

Teen pleads guilty in murder of Border Patrol agent shot 8 times, including 4 shots to head
ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press Writer
2:55 PM CST, November 20, 2009

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A 17-year-old pleaded guilty Friday to murdering a Border Patrol agent who was shot eight times in head, neck and torso in the mountains east of San Diego.

Christian Daniel Castro Alvarez admitted entering the United States illegally to rob a Border Patrol agent, the U.S. attorney's office said. Alvarez said he lured Agent Robert Rosas out of his car on the night of July 23 and struggled with him over a firearm.

Rosas, 30, was shot four times in the head, once in the neck and three times in the torso. He was found near Campo, Calif., without a pulse. His Border-Patrol issued gun was missing.

Rosas had left his car with the ignition on while pursuing three suspected illegal immigrants on a cool, "extremely dark" night, according to the San Diego County medical examiner's office.

Castro Alvarez entered his plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge James Lorenz after agreeing to be tried as an adult. The U.S. attorney's office in San Diego did not offer details on the arrest but said the Castro Alvarez "voluntarily surrendered to the United States."

Authorities said Castro Alvarez acted with others, but he did not immediately say how many.

"Our work on this case is not yet done," U.S. Attorney Karen Hewitt said.

Castro Alvarez faces a maximum of life in prison when he is sentenced Feb. 19.

Rosas was the first Border Patrol agent killed by gunfire since 1998, according to The Officer Down Memorial Page, a Web site that tracks deaths of law enforcement officers.

http://www.fox6now.com/news/nationworld ... 0649.story

Castro Alvarez faces a maximum of life in prison when he is sentenced Feb. 19.

Thats not enough. He should have gotten the death penalty. Now he gets to eat, sleep, watch tv and lounge around and it will cost taxayers thousands of dollars.

Teen pleads guilty in Border Patrol agent killing

By ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press Writer
© 2009 The Associated Press
Nov. 20, 2009, 7:05PM
SAN DIEGO — A 17-year-old pleaded guilty Friday to killing a Border Patrol agent who was shot eight times while chasing suspected illegal immigrants in the mountains east of San Diego.

Christian Daniel Castro Alvarez said he lured Agent Robert Rosas out of his car last July 23 and struggled over his gun during a robbery attempt, the U.S. attorney's office said.

The attack sparked a massive search on both sides of the border in rugged terrain strewn with white boulders that is popular with illegal immigrants and marijuana smugglers.

Castro Alvarez was charged as an adult after surrendering Aug. 14 at the San Ysidro border crossing connecting San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico.

"Today's guilty plea makes it clear that those who harm our brave men and women in uniform will be swiftly brought to justice and punished," Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said.

Rosas, 30, was the first Border Patrol agent killed by gunfire since 1998, according to The Officer Down Memorial Page, a Web site that tracks deaths of law enforcement officers.

Castro Alvarez appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge James Lorenz to enter his plea to murdering a federal officer in perpetration of robbery.

Rosas was patrolling alone and volunteered to pursue a group of suspected illegal immigrants spotted by another agent using a night-vision scope mounted on the back of a pickup truck, authorities said.

Rosas left his car with the ignition on while pursuing three people on the cool, dark night. He was shot four times in the head, once in the neck and three times in the torso. His Border Patrol-issued gun was missing.

Authorities said Castro Alvarez acted with others but did not immediately say how many. The suspects are believed to have fled back to Mexico through a small crevice under a border fence made of corrugated metal.

"Our work on this case is not yet done," U.S. Attorney Karen Hewitt said.

Napolitano thanked the Mexican government for cooperating in the case.

Castro Alvarez could face a maximum of life in prison when he is sentenced Feb. 19. His attorney, Ezekiel Cortez, did not immediately respond to a phone message.

Since the attack, the Border Patrol has expanded its presence in the area and been assigning agents to work in pairs instead of alone.

The FBI and Border Patrol offered rewards totaling $350,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. The FBI offered an additional $10,000 for help finding Rosas' .40-caliber gun.

The FBI has not yet recovered the weapon, spokesman Darrell Foxworth said.


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/ ... 32028.html

Some of the comments at the source link indicate people are skeptical.
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Border Agents murderer confesses. Arraigned in US Federal Court today
November 20, 1:59 PM
San Diego Immigration Policy Examiner
Carl Braun
7 comments

A 17 -year old Mexican male surrendered to authorities and was arraigned in San Diego Federal Court Friday morning for the murder of US Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas on July 23rd 2009. In a plea agreement, Christian Daniel Castro-Alvarez said through an interpreter that he illegally crossed into the United States and lured Rosas from his vehicle in order to rob him. A struggle ensued and the youth shot Rosas several times along with another person. Castro Alverez was also injured during the altercation. He claims it was an accident and his lawyer describes him as deeply remorseful.He plead guilty to murdering a Federal Officer during a robbery and aiding and abetting. He will be sentenced on February 19th 2010 and faces life in prison. Details of the plea agreement have not been released. The FBI is still investigating.

www.examiner.com

Originally Posted by butterbean

Castro Alvarez faces a maximum of life in prison when he is sentenced Feb. 19.

Thats not enough. He should have gotten the death penalty. Now he gets to eat, sleep, watch tv and lounge around and it will cost taxayers thousands of dollars.

If you want the law to be followed, you should respect the law as well. It is well documented that convicted criminals UNDER 18 may not receive the death penalty no matter how heinous the crime may be.

He claims it was an accident and his lawyer describes him as deeply remorseful.

an accident? Rosas was shot in the head neck face and torso....literally blown to bits by this animal!

Originally Posted by SicNTiredInSoCal

He claims it was an accident and his lawyer describes him as deeply remorseful.

an accident? Rosas was shot in the head neck face and torso....literally blown to bits by this animal!

accident my (backside) he knew what he was doing
its not accident when you lure someone

Added to Homepage:
http://www.alipac.us/article-4721--0-0.html

Originally Posted by attorneyatlaw

Originally Posted by butterbean

Castro Alvarez faces a maximum of life in prison when he is sentenced Feb. 19.

Thats not enough. He should have gotten the death penalty. Now he gets to eat, sleep, watch tv and lounge around and it will cost taxayers thousands of dollars.

If you want the law to be followed, you should respect the law as well. It is well documented that convicted criminals UNDER 18 may not receive the death penalty no matter how heinous the crime may be.

But he is being charged as an adult. So wouldnt that make him eligible for the death sentence?