Murder suspect held on $1 million bail
EL CENTRO – A local man suspected of murder in connection with the Wednesday stabbing death of his neighbor remained in the county jail Monday on $1 million bail, officials reported.
Information on whether the suspect, Angel Jesus Beltran, 27, had been formally charged was not immediately available from the county District Attorney’s Office or Superior Court. A jail official reported his bail amount and confirmed he remained in custody.
The 29- year- old victim, whose name was not immediately released pending confirmation of notification of his family, suffered multiple stab wounds and was pronounced dead at El Centro Regional Medical Center, El Centro Police Sgt. Antonio Hernandez said.
Hernandez described Beltran as an “acquaintance” of the victim. Investigators do not yet have a motive for the stabbing, he added.
An autopsy to determine the cause of death will be conducted later this week but an exact day had not been scheduled as of Monday, a county Coroner’s Office official said.
According to Hernandez and police logs, a woman called police about noon Wednesday to report a man had been stabbed in an apartment in the 100 block of West Orange Avenue. Police arrived to find a man bleeding from multiple stab wounds, including one to the abdomen.
The man was not breathing and officers performed resuscitation efforts until emergency medical personnel arrived. The man was taken by ambulance to El Centro Regional where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Officers quickly located a suspect based on witness statements, Hernandez explained. It was reported around the time of the stabbing Beltran was seen entering the victim’s apartment and then leaving a short time later and returning to his residence a short distance away.
Responding officers found Beltran and a possible weapon used to stab the victim at Beltran’s residence, Hernandez added. Police logs stated officers used the help of the Beltran’s mother and brother to get him to leave his apartment and surrender. The mother gave also officers consent to search the dwelling, the logs stated.
Hernandez would only describe the recovered weapon as a “stabbing tool” and did not release further information about the incident.