Suspect arrested in La Grange murder

Madera County man booked into Madera County Jail on Monday

A 39-year-old man is behind bars in Madera County on suspicion of murdering another man whose bullet-ridden body was discovered by Tuolumne County Sheriff’s deputies at a home in La Grange on April 4.

Luis Deleon Cifuentes, of Madera, was booked into the Madera County Jail about 11:30 p.m. Monday on a no-bail out of county warrant and charges that included inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, false imprisonment and sexual battery.

The Madera County Department of Corrections confirmed that the warrant is from Tuolumne County on a charge of murder.

Cifuentes’ arrest was announced Wednesday morning in a news release from the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office that stated he is suspected of killing Cayetano DuartePerez, 29, who was found dead in a bedroom of a residence on Highway 132 with multiple gunshot wounds.

Tuolumne County Sheriff’s detectives identified Cifuentes as a suspect after a week of investigation and obtained a warrant for his arrest and search warrant for his home and vehicle, the release said.

California Highway Patrol officers in Madera County located and detained Cifuentes during a traffic stop after a “be on the lookout” advisory for him was sent out to his hometown and surrounding counties, the release said.

According to the release, Tuolumne County Sheriff’s detectives responded to Madera County and ultimately booked him into jail there after he refused extradition to Tuolumne County.

Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Deputy Niccoli Sandelin, who serves as the office’s spokesman, said didn’t have a timeline for

“if/when” Cifuentes will be transferred to the Dambacher Detention Center in Sonora.

Sandelin explained that a person arrested on a warrant from another county or state has the ability to waive extradition and be transferred to the county where the warrant was filed, thus agreeing they are the person named in the warrant, or dispute they are the same person and refuse to be extradited.

If the arrested person refuses extradition, Sandelin said a court proceeding will take place to ensure the person being held for the warrant is the same person as the one named in the warrant and then order them to be extradited to the county where the warrant was issued.

No additional information was available Wednesday morning about Cifuentes’ additional charges in Madera County.