Thread: Mexico arrests man wanted in killing of David March

http://www.mercurynews.com

Posted on Thu, Feb. 23, 2006

Mexico arrests man wanted in killing of California policeman

Associated Press

MEXICO CITY - A man wanted in California for the 2002 killing of a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy was captured by Mexican police on Thursday, the U.S. embassy in Mexico City reported.

Agents of the Mexican Federal Investigation Agency arrested Jorge Arroyo Garcia in the city of Tonala in western Jalisco state, according to a statement from the embassy. A spokeswoman with the Mexico Attorney General's Office confirmed the arrest.

Arroyo Garcia, a Mexican national who also goes by the first name Armando, is the lead suspect in the shooting death of Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy David March, 33, during a traffic stop in Irwindale, Calif., in April 2002.

"The arrest today was the result of investigative persistence and close cooperative efforts between the United States Marshals Service and Mexico's Federal Investigative Agency," U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza said in a statement.

He said the United States has 60 days to file a request for Arroyo Garcia's extradition.

"Although the entire extradition process often takes more than six months to a year to complete, Arroyo Garcia is now off the streets and should remain in jail until he is returned to the United States," Garza said.

Shortly after March's killing, former California Gov. Gray Davis posted a $100,000 reward for Arroyo Garcia's arrest.

Los Angeles County officials also held a high-profile meeting with Mexican law enforcement to focus attention on U.S. fugitives who flee to Mexico.

U.S. U.S. Rep. David Drier said Arroyo Garcia's arrest demonstrates the importance of maintaining an ongoing dialogue between the United States and Mexico.

"The capture of Armando Garcia is a victory for justice and, most important, for the March family," the California Republican said in a statement. "Law enforcement on both sides of the border deserve tremendous credit for working together and staying on his trail for nearly four years."

I'm glad the killer was caught, but the sad truth of the matter, is that if our government had been doing there job, by protecting our border, the murder never would have taken place.

http://www.latimes.com/news/printeditio ... california

Suspect in Deputy's Slaying Is Arrested
Mexican authorities capture Armando Garcia Arroyo, who was being sought in the 2002 fatal shooting of the officer in Irwindale.
By Jill Leovy
Times Staff Writer

February 24, 2006

Armando Garcia Arroyo, the fugitive accused of the killing of a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy nearly four years ago, was arrested in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, on Thursday, according to Los Angeles County and Mexican authorities.

Garcia is alleged to have killed Deputy David March at a traffic stop in Irwindale in April 2002 and has since been at large.

His was one of the most high-profile and controversial fugitive cases involving Mexico in recent years. Extradition had remained a sticking point between the U.S. and Mexican governments until last year, when the Mexican Supreme Court ruled that murder suspects wanted here could be returned.

"Terrific," is how Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca characterized the news Thursday night that Garcia had been apprehended.

He said that sheriff's homicide detectives would be sent to Mexico immediately to pursue the case.

Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley struck a similar note: "We don't forgive. We don't forget. Justice will now be done."

U.S. marshals and Mexican police working together were instrumental in locating Garcia, Baca and Cooley said. A spokesman for the U.S. Marshals Service confirmed that a task force had been working on the case.

Baca said that marshals and Mexican police had been staking out the home of an uncle of Garcia when, to their surprise, Garcia himself walked out of the house. He surrendered peacefully, Baca said.

According to a statement released by Mexico's attorney general on Thursday, Garcia was arrested in Tonala, Jalisco, by Mexican federal agents following an investigation that spanned three states. The statement said Garcia's criminal history included drug offenses and domestic violence.

He has been transferred to a Mexican detention facility, the statement said.

U.S. authorities have 60 days to file an extradition request.

March, 33, was a seven-year department veteran who stopped a black Nissan, allegedly driven by Garcia, during a routine morning patrol on April 29, 2002. March, who lived with his wife and stepdaughter in Santa Clarita, was shot several times and later died at a hospital.

Investigators soon after identified Garcia, who they said was an illegal immigrant and drug dealer, as a suspect.

But by then, it appeared that Garcia had fled to Mexico. And although Mexican police were said to be helping in the search, at that time extradition of fugitives to the U.S. from Mexico was a point of dispute. Mexican judges had balked at allowing Mexican nationals to be returned to a country where they could face the death penalty or life in prison.

But in November, Mexico's Supreme Court ended a four-year argument with the U.S. over extradition by ruling that thousands of slaying suspects could be returned.

Opinion in Mexico on the issue had changed, as Mexican states began imposing harsher penalties on criminals in an effort to curb violent crime.

Garcia had been at the top of the list of extradition targets in Mexico wanted by local authorities.

Cooley, reached by phone late Thursday, would not give further details on how the case would proceed. In the past, he has declined to say whether he would seek the death penalty against Garcia.

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_3541134

Article Launched: 2/24/2006 12:00 AM

Captured!
Man suspected of killing deputy jailed in Mexico

By Susan Abram and Patricia Farrell Aidem Staff Writers
Pasadena Star-News

In a case that became a symbol of how illegal immigrant fugitives escape U.S. justice, the man accused of killing sheriff's Deputy David March in Irwindale four years ago has been arrested in Mexico and is facing extradition, authorities said Thursday.

Armando Garcia was captured at an uncle's house in Jalisco on Thursday, and officials with the Attorney General's Office in Mexico City said they will begin the process of returning him to the United States.

"I feel so relieved that no one was hurt," said March's widow, Teri. "No one has to live another nightmare at the hands of Armando Garcia. That was my heaviest burden that he would kill again for his freedom. I prayed for this day."

Sheriff Lee Baca said he had been waiting for this day for years.

"We are happy a cop-killer has been caught and will be brought back to the United States," Baca said.

March, a 33-year-old deputy from Saugus, was gunned down April 29, 2002, as he approached a suspect's car on Live Oak Avenue in Irwindale. Garcia, an undocumented immigrant who had previously been deported four times and was wanted for attempted murder, was identified as the prime suspect.

U.S. officials believed Garcia had fled to Mexico, and they sought help from authorities there. But the Mexican government has repeatedly refused to extradite to the United States as many as 3,000 fugitives including up to 1,000 accused of crimes in California who could face the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole.

The March case sparked a national outcry as lawmakers, prosecutors and law enforcement called for changes in the system that would allow undocumented immigrants who commit crimes and flee to be brought to justice.

Teri March testified before a congressional hearing that spotlighted the Mexican law, which she believed stood in the way of justice for her slain husband.

Officials who supported her on the issue include District Attorney Steve Cooley, Baca, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, Rep. David Dreier, R- Glendora and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California.

Last year, Mexico's Supreme Court reversed a 2001 ruling that barred the extradition of suspects facing life in prison.

And Mexican courts granted the extradition of two murder suspects who faced life in prison with the possibility of parole for cases in Ventura and San Bernardino counties. And a fugitive suspected of killing a Denver police officer was returned to Colorado last summer after prosecutors agreed he might someday be paroled.

When the Denver district attorney decided not to seek the death penalty or life without parole for the accused cop-killer, Cooley said he would not make similar concessions in the Garcia case.

"It's a matter of principle," Cooley said at the time.

While a spokeswoman for the Denver District Attorney's Office worried Thursday "there could be some consequences" if Cooley decides to pursue the death penalty against Garcia, the Mexican Attorney General's Office appeared willing to work through any problems.

"Armando Garcia ... was one of the most sought after fugitives by the United States," read a statement issued by the Mexican government. "With his detention, we formally look forward to cooperating in extradition procedures between the two countries."

Sheriff's homicide investigators were sent to Mexico City on Thursday to help bring back Garcia.

Reached at his office, Irwindale police Sgt. Mario Camacho, one of the first on the scene when March was killed, said he remembers feeling "sad and angry" that day.

"I still have a picture of Dave in my locker from all the memorial services. I'm glad the wheels of justice is finally moving and that Armando Garcia is having to answer for the murder of Dave," he said.

Staff Writers Ruby Gonzales, Marianne Love, Lisa Friedman and Rick Orlov contributed to this story.

susan.abram@dailynews.com

(81 713-3664

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/opinions/ci_3544558

You can run, but you can't hide'


San Gabriel Valley Tribune

THE capture of suspected cop-killer Armando Garcia in Mexico on Thursday restored meaning to the adage: You can run but you can't hide.
Garcia, who is accused of killing Deputy David March in Irwindale nearly four years ago, ran for the border after allegedly shooting March in cold blood during a traffic stop on Live Oak Avenue.

The prime suspect in one of the most heinous crimes in Los Angeles County in recent memory sits in a Mexican jail awaiting extradition to the United States where he will face American justice.

Words of relief from March's widow, Teri March, and from Sheriff Lee Baca filled Friday's newspaper.

Today, District Attorney Steve Cooley talked about the sticky negotiations between the United States and Mexico. Since 2001, Mexico has prohibited extradition of suspects to the United States if they face life in prison without parole and before that, suspects who faced the death penalty.

The case, which is still unfolding, has tested the depths of the U.S.-Mexico relations. More than that, the slaying of Deputy March shed light on people who were getting away with murder here in California by hiding in Mexico. This problem, in my opinion, is the No. 1 issue in California. Suddenly, our criminal justice system became compromised by suspects who punched holes in its once impenetrable shield.

Also, the Garcia-March case exposes flaws in the framing of the issue of illegal immigration (Garcia was in this country illegally). This is about border relations, not just border control. I'm not dismissing the problem of a porous border between the United States and Mexico, because that is quite a serious problem. Instead, I'm expanding on how we see this issue.

People do go over the border illegally. When that happens, both countries must work together to do something about it. In the case of suspected criminals committing crimes in the United States then fleeing to Mexico, the issue is not about border control but border relations.

I'm sure our local police did everything they could to stop their prime suspect from fleeing to Mexico. But that was not possible four years ago and no matter how much steel and concrete we pour into the border, people will get through, especially criminals running from here to Mexico.

The arrest of Garcia was a result of both sides talking things through. It was about Mexico realizing they should not be a haven for suspected criminals. And it was about our Congress putting pressure on the Mexican Supreme Court to do the right thing and allow extradition of U.S. crime suspects.

The lesson here is border relations trumps any call for taller border fences.


steve.scauzillo@sgvn.com

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articl ... cleID=6232

Schiff Reacts to Arrest of Armando Garcia
California Political Desk

By California Political Desk
February 24, 2006

WASHINGTON, DC (February 24, 2006) - On April 29, 2002, Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff David March was murdered, execution-style, during a routine traffic stop. The suspect Armando Garcia fled to Mexico and has been a fugitive since. Last night he was arrested in Mexico. Congressman Adam Schiff made the following statement:

"The family of Deputy March has been waiting for almost four years for justice--today, they are one step closer. I welcome the Mexican government's recent cooperation, but our work is not complete until all fugitives in Mexico are apprehended and brought to justice in the United States."

Mexico has refused to extradite Garcia and other Mexican nationals accused of serious crimes unless prosecutors agree not to pursue the death penalty or even life in prison. Recently, the Mexican Supreme Court reversed a decision that had prevented extradition back to the United States of Garcia and other fugitives who have committed crimes that carry lifetime sentences.

Congressman Schiff serves on both the House Judiciary and International Relations committees. He was an assistant U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles for six years. He represents California's 29th Congressional District, which includes the communities of Alhambra, Altadena, Burbank, East Pasadena, East San Gabriel, Glendale, Monterey Park, Pasadena, San Gabriel, South Pasadena and Temple City.

http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_3903835

Slaying suspect still in Mexico
Extradition of area deputy's alleged killer stalled
By Angie Valencia-Martinez Staff Writer



Law enforcement officials Monday said it could take years before the man accused of killing Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy David March is brought back to the U.S. to face justice.

Armando Garcia, whose real name is Jorge Arroyo Garcia, suspected of fatally shooting the Temple Station deputy on April 29, 2002, during a traffic stop in Irwindale, was captured in Mexico earlier this year.

While authorities first were optimistic they could bring Garcia back within a year, the extradition process has turned into a waiting game.

"It could be a matter of years. We don't know," said Los Angeles County District Attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons. "It could be a long, long time. It may be quicker than we think. At this point I'm not going to hold out hope for anybody."

Extradition documents were sent to Mexican authorities in mid-April, and so far there has been no response, Gibbons said. The courts there have an unlimited amount of time to review the case and make a recommendation, which Garcia can appeal.

"The whole system has been frustrating," said March's widow, Teri. "It's not going to come easy. Anything is better than his freedom. I'm hanging on to being grateful for that.

"If it takes two years, I can wait two years. I waited four years for him to be captured."

Garcia, 29, was captured by Mexican authorities in February.

The Mexican national, a convicted drug dealer also wanted for two attempted murders, faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

District Attorney Steve Cooley agreed not to seek the death penalty in order to have Garcia extradited from Mexico, which - under a Mexican Supreme Court ruling from last year - refuses to extradite murder suspects who face the death penalty to the United States.

The decision could affect more than 700 suspects in California crimes believed to have fled to Mexico to avoid prosecution.

angie.valencia@dailynews.com

(805) 583-7604