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A 25-year-old man who allegedly shot and killed two men at a Halloween party in East Palo Alto in 2018 was arrested by federal authorities in Mexico on April 16, according to the nonprofit group that worked with the East Palo Alto police to identify the shooter.
Julian Santana Rico, a former East Palo Alto resident, was identified by the police in 2020 as the man who shot and killed Stockton resident Eduardo Alvarado Sandoval, 22, and East Palo Alto resident Mario Andres Vidales Mendez, 23, after an altercation during the Oct. 14, 2018 party, according to this publication’s previous reporting.
Police said Rico came uninvited to the party, which was held in the yard of A-1 Auto Service and Towing, a business near the intersection of Pulgas Avenue and Bay Road. At about 2:45 a.m., Rico became involved in a physical dispute, police said. He allegedly shot four people before fleeing the scene.
Sandoval and Vidales Mendez reportedly died at the scene, while two other men were transported to nearby hospitals with what police initially described as life-threatening injuries but that were upgraded to stable later in the day.
In 2020, the East Palo Alto Police Department partnered with the Palo Alto-based nonprofit Mothers Against Murder to offer a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Rico. Roger Smith, who works with the nonprofit, told this organization that the 2018 shooting was “heartbreaking.”
“We’re very pleased that after this many years to find this guy,” Smith said.
Rico is currently being held at Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City, according to court records. He has a court hearing scheduled at 1:30 p.m. on Monday.
Veronica Sandoval, mother of Eduardo Sandoval, said in a statement that she plans to be in court on Monday “for our son, for our family, and for the justice he deserves.”
“My son went to a party and never came home,” she said. “For eight years, we have lived with unimaginable pain, waiting and praying for this day.”
Margaret Petros, executive director of Mothers Against Murder called the arrest “long overdue.” According to her organization, Rico fled to Mexico immediately after the shooting. He was arrested with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals, returned to the United States and booked on murder charges.
Court records show that Rico is being held without bail on two murder charges as well as attempted murder.
