Suspect in Bay Area Murder Detained at San Ysidro Border Crossing

SAN YSIDRO, CA: A man wanted in connection with the death of his brother-in-law on Christmas Eve more than three years ago near the Bay Area was detained Sunday at the San Ysidro port of entry from Mexico, police said Thursday.

Francisco Javier Navarro, 37, was detained about 7 a.m. Sunday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents for allegedly trespassing into the country with fake documents, according to police. He will be extradited to Monterey County to face a murder charge, police said.

Navarro was found with an outstanding warrant obtained in early 2013 for the death of 30-year-old Salvador Garcia on Dec. 24, 2012, police said.

He allegedly shot Garcia over a family dispute in the driveway of a home in Salinas. The victim died of his injuries at the scene and the suspect drove away from the home, police said.

When stopped Sunday by border protection officers at the crossing from Tijuana to San Diego, Navarro showed them a permanent resident card that they suspected was fraudulent, according to federal officials.

When the officers checked his fingerprints, they learned his true name didn't match what was on the card and he had a $1.7 million arrest warrant, federal officials said.

The suspect, who is a Mexican citizen, was given temporary parole into the United States and booked into jail, according to federal officials.

"We are pleased that we can help bring closure to this outstanding homicide case from more than three years ago," Pete Flores, director of field operations for the agency's San Diego Field Office, said in a statement.

"CBP officers caught this fugitive as he attempted to illegally sneak back into the U.S., and now he will face justice," Flores said.

Bay City News Service

Photo: Cars line up at the CBP inspection station at San Ysidro, Calif., thought to be the busiest land port in the world. (By Josh Denmark for U.S. Customs and Border Protection)