Watsonville Police Make Arrests in Homicide Case

Evidence leads to early arrests of suspects…

WATSONVILLE—Detectives, along with the Watsonville Police Department, have arrested a total of four individuals for the murder of 20-year-old Watsonville resident Felipe Reyes.

Felipe Reyes was pronounced dead at the scene

On February 28, the Watsonville Police Department responded to the area of Lincoln Street and Prospect Street on a report of a group of males chasing another male, identified as Felipe Reyes.

It had been reported that someone in the group might have stabbed the Felipe Reyes.  When officers arrived at the scene they found Reyes lying on his back near the Watsonville Upholstery Shop on the 1200 block of Lincoln Street.

Reyes had a least two stab wounds to his upper torso and was in medical distress.  Watsonville Fire Department medics, along with American Medical responders, administered CPR in an attempt to save Reyes but their efforts were unsuccessful.  He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers from other areas of Watsonville converged on the scene in an attempt to lock down the area and locate the four to five reported Hispanic suspects, who were last seen running south from the scene.  Police were unable to locate any of suspects at the time.

The incident occurred on this street

Detectives, along with Watsonville Police Department crime scene investigators, processed the scene and recovered evidence that led to two arrests being made in the case. Arrested were Andres Rocha, 17, and Eric Romero, 15, both from Watsonville. They will be tried as adults in this case.

Then, on Thursday March 7, the Watsonville Police arrested two more outstanding suspects in this case: 20-year-old Oscar Vaca Vargas of Watsonville and another juvenile.

“We are confident we currently have all the persons responsible for this crime,” Detective Sergeant Eric Taylor of the Watsonville Police Department Investigation Bureau said. “We are investigating this crime as gang related.”

Vargas was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail on charges of first-degree murder and participating in a street gang crime.  The other juveniles were booked into Santa Cruz County Juvenile Detention Center.

Read More:

Santa Cruz Sentinel: Watsonville police make final arrests in Felipe Reyes slaying

Examiner: Four arrested for Watsonville homicide