Felon Accused of Killing San Jacinto Man Captured in Mexico

Juan Javier Mejia has been captured in Mexico and returned to Riverside County to face prosecution for a crime he’s accused of committing in June 2013. Booking photo courtesy of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

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A fugitive accused of gunning down a San Jacinto man in an ambush-style slaying and then fleeing south of the border was behind bars Monday.

Juan Javier Mejia, 41, of Palm Springs was captured in Mexico on Friday and extradited back to the United States following more than 18 months on the run, according to Riverside County sheriff’s officials.

Mejia was being held without bail at the Indio Jail and may be arraigned as early as Tuesday.

His co-defendant and half-brother, 24-year-old Abram Daniel Palacios of San Jacinto, remains at large.

Mejia and Palacios are each charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy and a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait for allegedly gunning down 23-year-old Ivan Ibarra Carrillo on June 6, 2013, near the intersection of Las Rosas Drive and Osprey Street in San Jacinto.

According to an arrest warrant affidavit filed by sheriff’s Investigator Martin Alfaro, Carrillo was leaving a house on Las Rosas in his Ford Excursion when the defendants pulled directly in front of the northbound SUV, blocking its path with a black four-door Honda Accord.

“A witness saw the driver and front-seat passenger of the Honda get out of the vehicle and immediately start shooting at the Excursion,” Alfaro wrote. “The witness said the driver of the Excursion had both hands up in the air, as if surrendering or giving up.”

After firing 14 rounds from a .40 caliber handgun and two rounds from a .9mm pistol, the gunmen jumped back into the Accord and fled the area, according to the affidavit.

Sheriff’s deputies swarmed the location but were unable to locate the shooters. Carrillo was pronounced dead at the scene of multiple gunshot wounds to the head and upper body.

One witness was shown a photographic lineup of potential suspects and positively identified Palacios as one of the alleged shooters, according to Alfaro.

He said investigators tracked down Palacios’ girlfriend and discovered that the Honda was hers. The woman confirmed that the defendant and Mejia had borrowed the car and that Palacios allegedly admitted killing Carrillo, according to the investigator.

On June 19, sheriff’s deputies executed a search warrant at one of Mejia’s domiciles in the 44700 block of Florida Avenue in Hemet. According to Alfaro, the defendant was not there. However, using up-to-the-minute mobile phone coordinates provided by Mejia’s cell phone carrier, investigators discovered he was in the area of Indian Canyon and San Rafael drives in Palm Springs.

According to Alfaro, Mejia’s wife and children reside in an apartment on Sunrise Way in Palm Springs. The woman, whose identity was withheld, later told investigators that her spouse and Palacios had appeared at the residence on the night of June 18 and left three hours later.

“We called Mejia’s cell phone several times, and Mejia stated he was already in Mexico and hung up,” Alfaro wrote.

The investigator alleged the defendant called his wife a few hours after leaving the apartment and “made several admissions, stating something had happened.”

“He told her to take care of the kids ... and stated she might not see him again and to sell his truck, trailer, everything and keep the money,” according to the affidavit.

A possible motive for the shooting has not been disclosed.

According to court documents, Mejia has prior convictions for rape, assault with intent to commit rape and burglary, while Palacios has prior misdemeanor convictions for illegal possession of a controlled substance, making criminal threats and battery on a spouse.

— By City News Service.