Alleged Norteno Gang Member Charged In Fatal Stabbing In Santa Cruz County

Murder charges have been filed against a 26-year-old man for a fatal stabbing in 2008, Santa Cruz County prosecutors said today.

Joshua Zepeda has been charged with stabbing 34-year-old Raymond Cervantes multiple times on Oct. 27, 2008, at 939 Lincoln St. in Watsonville.

Cervantes later died from his injuries at Watsonville Community Hospital, according to the district attorney’s office.

The incident is suspected to be gang-related, according to Assistant District Attorney Johanna Schonfield. Zepeda is being charged with murder with gang enhancements.

He is known to be a member of a local Norteno street gang and has an extensive history of interactions with the Watsonville Police Department, according to the district attorney’s office. Zepeda is already at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, serving a six-year sentence for an unrelated stabbing, Schonfield said.

The investigation into the case had gone cold several months after the killing, according to the district attorney’s office. However, new information prompted the reopening of the case approximately six months ago, according to Schonfield. No court date has been set, but prosecutors expect Zepeda to be transported to Santa Cruz County to face the charges in court within the next couple of months.

If convicted of all charges, Zepeda faces life in prison, according to the district attorney’s office.

--Bay City News