Illegal Accused of Triple Murder, Burning Victims to Death

A manhunt has ended in another case in which a violent death was linked to an illegal immigrant.

Jose Carmen Cardona, 59, was arrested July 12 in connection with a June arson and homicide case that involved the deaths of a woman and two children.

Fox News reported that it was told by a source that Cardona had been deported three times but kept returning to the United States.

Lisbeth Gutierrez-Salazar, 32, Juan Gutierrez-Salazr, 10, and Julian Cardona-Gutierrez, 7, were killed when their mobile home in Stockton, California, was set on fire on June 25.

The victims were asleep when the fire was set.

Authorities said a third child escaped from the mobile home and survived.

#HappeningNow: Law enforcement and prosecutors are getting ready to speak about the arrest of Jose Cardona, the man accused of setting fire to a #Stockton RV killing a young family last month.
↘️Watch live here:https://t.co/KeVpmPQ2RO https://t.co/1pSMszgTFm pic.twitter.com/1Uo2Qx5fGc

— Gabriel Porras (@Gabriel_Porras_) July 12, 2024

Police enlisted the assistance of the U.S. Marshal Service on June 28. Although the manhunt was national in scope, Stockton police arrested Cardona in Modesto, about 30 miles from where Gutierrez-Salazar and her children died.

Cardona, who appeared in court on Monday, has been charged with three counts of premeditated murder, one count of child abuse/endangerment and one count of attempted murder, according to KCRA-TV in Sacramento.

Although he was not the father of the children, he was in a relationship with Gutierrez-Salazar. One friend of hers described the relationship as abusive.

“The last couple of months, she started to get bruises on her arms and we were worried,” Jose Antonio Alvarez said, according to CBS News.

“I wanted to do something because of the messages she was sending me. I asked her where she was, and I said, ‘I’ll go get you,’” he said.

Alvarez said Gutierrez-Salazar texted him in the days before she was killed and said she was going away with her father.

“He said if I leave him, he’ll kill me,” Gutierres said in a text Alvarez showed CBS News.

“We tried to get information from her about who was he, what did he do, and she didn’t say anything,” Alvarez said. “I feel like it’s all my fault.”

Cardona remains in custody without bail, according to KCRA.

His next court appearance is Aug. 19.