Inmate Charged In Fatal Shooting Of La Mesa Woman

LA MESA, CA — A woman already in jail on unrelated charges has been re-arrested on suspicion of fatally shooting another woman in eastern San Diego County last fall, authorities reported Monday.

Evaline Janet Lemus, 30, allegedly gunned down 22-year-old Kimberly Gutierrez of La Mesa and left her body near a cul-de-sac at the end of Quarry Road in Bonita, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

A deputy on patrol near Sweetwater Summit Regional Park found the slain woman shortly after 3 a.m. Oct. 20, Lt. Thomas Seiver said.

Officials did not disclose what led detectives to identify Lemus, who has been in custody since early November on drug charges, as Gutierrez's suspected killer, and it remains unclear what prompted the homicide.

"The circumstances and motivations in this case are still under investigation," Seiver said Monday morning.

Lemus was being held without bail at Las Colinas women's jail in Santee pending trial.

— City News Service