ARRAIGNMENT DELAYED FOR SIBLINGS CHARGED IN CONNECTION WITH MURDER
Both with return to court on Nov. 12 for arraignment
Arraignment for two of the three suspects arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a Carmel woman in a Fairfield home was postponed Thursday, as the defense team requested a further hearing be scheduled for Nov. 12 to bring in a private attorney the family had hired.
Siblings Jessica, 21; and Marco Quintanilla, 27, both of Pittsburg, returned to Judge William Pendergast’s courtroom at the Solano County Justice Center for further arraignment, having already appeared in court on Tuesday to determine bail. Marco’s bail was set at $50,000, while Jessica was held without bail.
Both siblings appeared in court Thursday for separate proceedings where they were represented by public defenders. The hearings for both were brief, as the defense team said the family of both suspects had hired a private attorney and requested that the arraignments continue starting at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 12 to allow the attorney to be present. Pendergast granted this request, and the Quintanilla will return to Department 11, Room 206 of the Justice Center for separate hearings.
Neither party entered a plea in Thursday’s proceedings.
On Saturday evening, the Fairfield Police Department received a missing persons report for Leilani Beauchamp, 19, of Carmel, who was last seen leaving a Halloween party in Sacramento earlier that morning with two active-duty airmen from Travis Air Force Base who were living off-base on Cascade Lane in Fairfield.
The Fairfield Police Department worked with Travis AFB’s Office of Special Investigations and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office, as Beauchamp’s remains were later uncovered in
Salinas.
Lt. Jausiah Jacobsen, Fairfield PD public information officer, said the Cascade Lane residence was secured and warrants were conducted Sunday. Police investigators ended up arresting three in connection with the homicide: the Quintanillas and Juan Parra-Peralta, 20, one of the airmen who resided at the house. Jessica was charged with murder, Parra-Peralta was charged with being an accessory to murder, and Marco was charged with being an accessory to murder and violating his parole associated with a felony conviction for attempted murder. The second airman Beauchamp left with has not been publicly identified and was not arrested.
Paul Sequeira, Solano County chief deputy district attorney, told reporters after Tuesday’s hearings that the killing could have stemmed from a “love triangle situation” but said the case remains under investigation. Jacobsen said it has not yet been confirmed how all the parties knew each other.
“We’re still working that out, the framework with the dynamics of what all the relationship stuff was,” he said.
Jacobsen said detectives are continuing to tie up leads they have received.
Parra-Peralta was not listed on the court docket and did not appear to be in custody as of Thursday. Travis AFB’s Public Affairs Office would not comment on specifics of his case or status at the base, issuing a brief statement that the incident remains an open investigation by the Fairfield PD.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with family and friends of the victim,” base officials wrote.