LA County Man Flees After Killing Ex-Girlfriend

Juan Marquez, 47, was arrested on May 16 after Tustin police said he shot and killed his former girlfriend, Sandra Fernandez, 42, near her workplace two days earlier and then fled to Mexico. The shooting happened about 6:11 p.m. on May 14 near Yorba Street and Medford Avenue in Tustin, according to police and local television reports. Fernandez, who was from Anaheim, was found with fatal gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Investigators said Marquez, a Hawthorne resident, was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection as he tried to return to the United States through the San Ysidro Port of Entry and was then turned over to Tustin police. ### Where did the shooting happen, and what do police say led up to it? Tustin police said the killing happened near the intersection of Yorba Street and Medford Avenue, close to Fernandez’s workplace. Officers responded after multiple 911 calls reporting gunfire, KTLA and NBC Los Angeles reported, citing the department. (nbclosangeles.com) Investigators said Marquez had “laid in wait” before shooting Fernandez. NBC Los Angeles and KTLA both reported that account from police, and ABC7 identified Marquez as Fernandez’s former boyfriend. ### Who are the victim and the suspect? Sandra Fernandez was 42 and lived in Anaheim, according to police accounts carried by ABC7, NBC Los Angeles and KTLA. (ktla.com) Juan Marquez was identified by those outlets as a 47-year-old Hawthorne man. (nbclosangeles.com) CBS Los Angeles reported that Fernandez’s relatives spoke publicly on May 17 and described her as a mother of three. KTLA also referred to her as a mother in its report on the arrest. ### How did investigators say Marquez leave and return? Police said Marquez crossed into Mexico after the shooting. CBS Los Angeles reported that investigators said he fled through the San Ysidro Port of Entry before his arrest. (abc7.com) On May 16, U.S. Customs and Border Protection detained Marquez when he tried to re-enter the United States through the same border crossing, CBS Los Angeles reported. (cbsnews.com) Tustin police then took custody of him, according to CBS and other local outlets. ### What charges is he facing now? Tustin police said Marquez was booked into the Orange County Jail on a murder charge. (cbsnews.com) ABC7 and KTLA both reported that booking detail from the department. CBS Los Angeles reported that Marquez was being held without bail in the Orange County Jail on suspicion of murder. The Orange County Sheriff’s Department maintains the county’s inmate information system, and the Orange County Superior Court provides online case access for criminal matters. ### Why did this appear in Los Angeles-area coverage if the killing was in Orange County? (abc7.com) Hawthorne, where police said Marquez lives, is in Los Angeles County, while the shooting scene was in Tustin, in Orange County. That county-to-county split appears to be why some regional reports and aggregation items described him as an L.A. County man even though the homicide investigation is being handled by Tustin police. (cbsnews.com) Patch’s item appears to have referred to that residence detail, while the underlying police account centered on the Tustin shooting, the arrest at the border and the Orange County jail booking. ### What comes next in the case? Orange County authorities are expected to move the case into the court process after the jail booking. (nbclosangeles.com) The Orange County Superior Court’s online services include criminal case access and calendar listings for upcoming hearings. As of the reports published on May 17, police had announced the arrest and booking, but local coverage had not yet detailed a formal court appearance date. (msn.com) Readers looking for the next step would likely find it through Orange County court listings or updates from the Tustin Police Department. (abc7.com) (occourts.org)