Kern County: Fugitive Extradited from Mexico After 19 Years, Convicted in 2004 Double Murder
Above: Gustavo Soria
(Courtesy of Kern County D.A.’s Office)
Originally published by the Kern County District Attorney’s Office:
A man extradited back to the United States after nearly two decades on the run has been convicted of double murder.
Gustavo Soria plead to two counts of First-Degree Murder and admitted in both instances that he personally used a firearm to commit both murders.
Gustavo Soria was angry that his estranged wife and Mr. DeLaGarza, Jr. were in a relationship and were planning to move in together. On September 23, 2004, Gustavo Soria drove his vehicle to the home of Mr. DeLaGarza, Jr. and shot him numerous times, killing him. Gustavo Soria then drove to the home of his estranged wife and shot her several times as she fled to her bedroom, ultimately killing her. The murder was witnessed by the couple’s fourteen-year-old daughter. Gustavo Soria then left the residence, abandoning his vehicle and entering a rental vehicle he had obtained the previous evening.
Gustavo Soria fled to Mexico where he remained until the Federal Bureau of Investigation located him and conducted the operation to extradite him back to the U.S. April of 2023 to face the murder charges in Kern County.
DA Zimmer commented; “I am grateful for law enforcement’s extensive efforts to apprehend a dangerous fugitive that escaped accountability nearly two decades ago. Today, justice prevails.”
Sentencing is set for January 9, 2024. Gustavo Soria faces a sentence of 100 years to life in prison.
