Visalia Man Re-arrested and Charged for Killing Man in His Driveway

VISALIA – Police rearrested a man suspected of fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend in the driveway of his northeast Visalia home in January.

Edgar Lugo, 32

The Visalia Police Department originally took 32-year-old Edgar Lugo into custody on suspicion of murder on Jan. 21, just hours after he allegedly shot 36-year-old Clifford St. Martin.

The shooting happened in the 400 block of West Race Street around 2:16 a.m. Officers responding to the scene found St. Martin’s body in the driveway with multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police identified Lugo as the suspect through witness reports and took him into custody after identifying his vehicle and pulling him over. At the time, authorities said they were confident they had the right suspect, but he was later released while police investigated the case further.

Members of the Violent Crimes Unit were able to obtain more evidence connecting Lugo to the homicide, which led the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office to obtain a warrant charging him with murder on Wednesday. Lugo was arrested later in the day without incident and booked into the Tulare County Main Jail.

Police say possible tension between Lugo and St. Martin may have led to the shooting because St. Martin was dating the mother of Lugo’s child.

Read More:

CBS 47: First homicide of year in Visalia

Visalia Times Delta: Suspect in fatal Visalia shooting re-arrested