(UnitedVoice.com) – Former President Donald Trump has made immigration enforcement one of the most important issues of his campaign. He’s repeatedly pointed to murders committed by migrants as proof of the dangers posed by lax policies. Sadly, three more people have allegedly died at the hands of an illegal immigrant.
On June 25, firefighters in Stockton, California, responded to the fire of a mobile home trailer. First responders found the bodies of 32-year-old Lisbeth Gutierrez-Salazar and her two children, 7-year-old Julian Cardona-Gutierrez and 10-year-old Juan Gutierrez-Salazar. Authorities revealed another child managed to escape the fire and survived.
Stockton police began searching for 59-year-old José Carmen Cardona following the event. According to law enforcement, the suspect was previously in a relationship with the female victim. The kids were not his biological children.
On July 12, Stockton police said Cardona was taken into custody in Modesto. US Marshal for the Eastern District of California, Lasha Boyden, said the suspect was arrested at a bus stop without incident. A source close to the probe told the media that the suspect was previously deported from the US three times. He reportedly went by multiple aliases, including Andrés Vecerra Torres, Juan Alonzo, José Avilla Cardona, José Carmona-Estrada, Félipe Ramírez León, Roberto Giron-Giron, and José Carmona-Estrada.
San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas charged Cardona with one count of attempted murder, one count of child abuse/endangerment, and three counts of premeditated murder. He said he thinks Cardona was going to try to flee the US after the alleged murders.
After Cardona’s arrest, Boyden shared her condolences for the family of the victim. Speaking directly to them, she said she hoped the suspect’s capture would bring “some sense of justice to you and your loved ones.” She said the murders weren’t just felt by the people in their community but “across the nation.”
Cardona is being held without bail. He asked for a court-appointed attorney and his next hearing is set for August 19.
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