Two SLO men arrested in connection with stabbing of teen in Eureka
Two San Luis Obispo men have been arrested in connection with the 2014 fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old boy in Eureka.
The Times-Standard newspaper reports investigators now believe the killing involved an internal dispute within a gang.
Jesus Joani Garcia-Romero of Arcata died at a hospital on Dec. 17, 2014, after being stabbed three times in the throat and left on a Eureka lawn. Police say that attack occurred elsewhere at a residence.
As of Wednesday, Joseph Daniel Olivo Jr., 37, and Joseph Daniel Olivo III, 18, both of San Luis Obispo; Mario Nunez, 30, of Watsonville; and Nicholas Leigl, 33, of Eureka were being held on suspicion of Garcia-Romero’s murder. All four suspects have connections in Eureka, according to Eureka Police Department Capt. Brian Stephens.
“They all four have some connection in a conspiracy type situation for the murder of Jesus and played some role in his murder,” Stephens said, adding that there are no more identified suspects at this time.
The investigation involved several state and federal agencies, including the FBI, the U.S. Probation and Parole Office, the U.S. Marshals Service and the San Luis Obispo Probation Department. Following more than a year of investigations, the arrests were made this week.
On Tuesday, Olivo III was arrested by the San Luis Obispo Probation Department and Gang Task Force. On Wednesday Olivo Jr. was arrested while being housed in Pelican Bay Prison in Crescent City and Nunez was arrested at San Quentin Prison, where they were serving time for charges unrelated to the murder case. A known member of the 18th Street gang in Eureka, Leigl was arrested by the EPD Problem Oriented Policing team on Wednesday as he arrived at work, according to Stephens.
With several of the suspects having gang ties to San Luis Obispo, Stephens said it is not uncommon for gangs to crop up in other areas.
“Gang members travel,” Stephens said. “They try to start new gangs, new sectors of their gang in any city they can.”
Read the rest of the story at times-standard.com.
This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 7:23 AM with the headline "Two SLO men arrested in connection with stabbing of teen in Eureka."