LA County Man Fled The Country After Killing Ex-Girlfriend: Police

TUSTIN, CA — A Hawthorne man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend in Orange County and fleeing to Mexico was detained at the U.S. border Saturday on suspicion of murder, police said.

Juan Marquez, 47, was detained Saturday afternoon on an arrest warrant by U.S. Customs and Border Protection as he returned to the U.S., according to police.

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The warrant was issued in connection with the fatal shooting of 42-year-old Anaheim resident Sandra Fernandez, who was killed Thursday at Yorba Street and Medford Avenue in Tustin, and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Marquez had lain in wait near Fernandez’s workplace, according to police, who said that after the attack, he fled the country at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.

After he was detained, Marquez was taken into the custody of Tustin police and booked on a charge of murder into Orange County jail, where he is being held without bail, authorities said.