California officials say it aided in woman's slaying
SAN FRANCISCO — Officials in the Northern California city of San Jose Wednesday criticized so-called sanctuary policies they say prevented federal authorities from detaining a gang member in the country illegally before he allegedly killed a woman.
San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia said Carlos Eduardo Arevalo Carranza, 24, stalked Bambi Larson's neighbourhood before beating and stabbing her to death in her home.
The immigrant from El Salvador had been on the radar of Immigration and Customs Enforcement since 2013, when he failed to show up in immigration court.
Arevalo Carranza, who was homeless and had several convictions for felony offences, was arrested Monday night in the Feb. 28 killing of Larson, 59, a manager at medical testing company Roche Sequencing Solutions in San Jose.
A self-admitted gang member, he has a long criminal history in the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles spanning five years.
He was on probation for the possession of methamphetamine, paraphernalia, false imprisonment and burglary, Garcia said.
San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said Wednesday it's time for Santa Clara County officials to reconsider a policy that ignores federal hold requests for predatory felons.
He said he has been urging county officials to treat violent criminals in the country illegally differently from the rest of those who entered the U.S. without legal permission.
"We're not asking the county to detain anyone a minute longer than the law and the constitution allow," Liccardo told The Associated Press Wednesday.
