|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Two cousins have been arrested in connection with the deadly stabbing of a 33-year-old man in East Palo Alto late Monday night, police said.
Officers responded to an 11:35 p.m. report of a stabbing victim in the 400 block of East O'Keefe Street. Upon arrival, officers found the man and applied first aid before paramedics arrived, but he died at the scene.
Police identified the victim as Abner Oswaldo Najeraxol, 33, of East Palo Alto.
Officers arrested 19-year-old Wilmer Vasquez Amador, also of East Palo Alto, in connection with the homicide shortly after 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday. He was taken into custody with assistance from the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office and information from witnesses who came forward, according to police.
On Thursday, officers arrested Amador's cousin, 29-year-old Ceferino Vasquez Lopez, for his alleged role in the stabbing based on new video surveillance footage submitted to law enforcement, police said. Lopez, an East Palo Alto resident, was booked into San Mateo County jail.
Witnesses allege Amador took out a folding knife and stabbed Najeraxol once in the neck, according to the District Attorney's Office. Officers found the 33-year-old man was heavily bleeding in the spot where he was stabbed.
Police came across a trail of blood that led to a neighboring apartment about 50 yards away from the deadly stabbing and found the unit was locked. Officers acquired a search warrant that authorized them to enter the residence, where they found Amador on the porch with the knife nearby, the District Attorney's Office said.
Amador and Lopez made their initial appearances in San Mateo County Superior Court on July 6 and July 11, respectively, prosecutors said. They each face a felony count of murder. Amador is being held without bail, while Lopez's bail was set at $10 million. They're both scheduled to return to court on July 13.
Police said they are withholding the motive behind the murder due to the ongoing investigation. This is the third homicide in the city this year.
Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to call acting Cmdr. Angel Sanchez at 650-853-3154. Information can be shared anonymously via email at epa@tipnow.org and by text or voicemail at 650-409-6792.
