A fourth suspect has been arrested and charged in connection with the slaying of a man whose body was discovered earlier this week in a rental truck, the Santa Maria Police Department announced Wednesday afternoon.
Reyes Gonzales, 42, of Guadalupe was taken into custody Tuesday on a parole violation, and subsequently was booked into Santa Barbara County Jail on a murder charge stemming from an incident Monday at a residence on Donovan Road near Blosser Road, according to Sgt. Daniel Cohen.
Three Santa Maria residents also were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder after the body was found in the back of a U-Haul truck parked on an Orcutt street.
Police arrested Ramon Maldonado, 37, Carmen Cardenas, 28, and Pedro Torres, 54, in connection with the case.
The victim was identified Wednesday as Anthony Ibarra, 28, of Santa Maria.
The investigation began Monday evening, when officers were called to the 1100 block of Donovan Road after a citizen reported a “possible violent crime” had taken place at a residence there, said Lt. Kim Graham.
The investigation continued into Tuesday morning, when Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s personnel located the vehicle believed to be involved on Los Padres Street in Orcutt at 10:35 a.m., Graham said.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
Comments
