Arrest Made in Brutal King City Stabbing Death

King City Police Chief Nick Baldiviez confirmed late Friday that an arrest was made on a story reported earlier  here. The incident occurred December 4 when a man was brutally stabbed to death in his residence on Bassett Street.

Ruben Laveaga

Suspect Ruben Laveaga, 37, was apprehended on top of a resident’s roof in Calexico on Vega Street just off Imperial Avenue Thursday afternoon.

Calexico police had been looking for Laveaga for about a week after being notified by the United States Marshalls Service that he has family living there.
According to the police report, a resident called the police shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday and said there was a man on top of the roof. Police ordered him to get down, and when he finally did, he refused to provide his name to the authorities and was later booked into Imperial County Jail,  released into the King City Police custody and transported to Monterey County.

Just hours before the arrest, the King City Police Department held a press conference to announce a warrant in the case in the fatal stabbing of Roger Anthony Esquivel, 37, of King City. The town was shocked when Esquivel was stabbed early in the morning (around 6:37 a.m.) at his residence in the 500 block of Bassett Street.

Police Chief Nick Baldiviez said during the press conference that Laveaga was identified through an intense investigation as the one who ended Esquivel’s life.

The prepared statement read at the press conference stated that Laveaga entered a residence located in the 500 block of Bassett Street early Tuesday morning, at which time he confronted Esquivel, who was inside the home.

After stabbing the victim several times, Laveaga reportedly fled on foot. A 911 call was received reporting an assault victim. The police department reportedly arrived within minutes and found the victim semi-conscious on the floor. He was transported to Mee Memorial Hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased.
According to a report regarding the press conference, Chief Baldiviez said that Laveaga was also identified as being the main suspect in an armed robbery that occurred at around 2 a.m. at the 7-11 store located in the 800 block of Broadway. A warrant had already been issued for the suspect, and more follow-up by the investigation led the police department revealed that Laveaga not only matched the description of the robbery but also of the stabbing

Read More:

The Californian: Arrest Made in King City Murder

KION: King City Police Identify Man Responsible for Tuesday Homicide