Murder charge for shooting suspect ousted from Mexico by authorities
SAN JOSE » Prosecutors have filed a murder charge against a man suspected of fatally shooting a woman at a downtown San Jose home, eluding a manhunt by f leeing to Mexico, then landing back into custody after authorities there dropped him off at the border.
Daniel Gebrehiwet Zeratsion, 19, of San Jose, was extradited from San Diego County to the Bay Area over the weekend. On Tuesday, he was arraigned on one count of murder with a firearm enhancement, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
Zeratsion was wanted in the shoot ing of 20- year- old Myla Thi Dang, a resident of the Monterey County city of Marina, after gunshots were heard the afternoon of July 3 from a home on South 10th Street between Reed and Margaret streets.
Responding police officers went inside and found Dang suf fering from at least one gunshot wound, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives identified Zeratsion as a suspect early on in the investigation, and authorities said the suspect and victim knew each other, but did not elaborate on their relationship.
While an alert was sent out to state law- enforcement agencies, Zeratsion did not surface until July 11, when Mexican authorities brought him to the port of entry in San Ysidro and turned him over to U. S. Customs and Border Protection, officials said.
San Jose police were then alerted after CBP ran Zeratsion through police databases and found a $2 million arrest warrant issued for him. Detectives traveled to San Diego last week and escorted Zeratsion back to Santa Clara County, where he was being held without bail at the Main Jail.
It remains unclear what spurred Zeratsion to attract the attention of Mexican law enforcement. Additional details about the shooting were not released, and the case file is currently under court seal.
Anyone with information about the case can contact SJPD homicide Detective Sgt. Mike Montonye or Detective Jason Tanner at 408277- 5283. Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408947- STOP or svcrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward.