Suspect arrested for allegedly murdering a man found buried near the Pajaro River Levee
PAJARO, Calif. (KION-TV) -- The Monterey County Sheriff's Office announced Friday that they've arrested 61-year-old Bernardino Rickie Sanchez of Pajaro for allegedly murdering Jesús Alfonso Duarte Figueroa of Watsonville last April.
They said that Figueroa's body was found near the Pajaro River levee on April 10, and after detectives arrived and performed post-mortem forensic examination to identify the man as 36-year-old Figueroa.
According to the Sheriff's Office, the examination revealed details that led detectives to believe it was a homicide.
"After conducting interviews with independant witnesses which included members of the Pajaro River Levee unhoused community, detectives were able to arrest 61-year-old Bernardino Rickie Sanchez of Pajaro for the murder of Duarte Figueroa," according to deputies.
The Sheriff's Office saying that Sanchez was already in custody in the Monterey County Jail for unrelated drug and weapons violation.
He has now been booked for additional violations of murder and unlawful disposal of human remains with a new set to $1,000,000, according to officials.
If anyone has further information about this investigation, they are encouraged to call Monterey County Sheriff’s Detective Richard Geng at 831-253-6029 or Detective Sergeant James Day at 831-597-0065. Information can be provided anonymously.
