MERCED COUNTY, CA (KMJ) — A man from the North Valley is arrested in Washington, accused of beating another man to death in Merced County.
Memorial Hospital in Modesto called the Merced County Sheriff’s Office on October 9, 2019 to report that a 46-year-old patient had died from injuries he received during a fight with another man.
Hospital officials told the Sheriff’s Office that Efren Ortez had been hospitalized ever since the fight, a week earlier.
The Merced County SHeriff’s Office said the suspect ran away after the fight and a warrant was put out for his arrest.
Investigators determined that Luis Gerardo Sandoval was the person who assaulted Ortez.
The Major Crimes Unit was able to track Sandoval to the State of Washington.
Detectives found out where Sandoval was staying and asked the Pasco Police Department for help making the arrest.
On February 4, 2020, Pasco police were able to find and arrest Sandoval on the Merced County warrant.
Click to listen to the report by KMJ’s Liz Kern:
