Fresno County murder suspect arrested after hiding out for several weeks in Arizona
An 18-year-old man wanted for a Jan. 10 homicide in Huron is in jail in Fresno after he was found hiding out in Arizona.
Julian Torres is suspected of murder in the death of Joel Aguiniga, 19, of Coalinga. Torres was found by U.S. marshals at a home in Avondale, Arizona, on Feb. 4. Fresno County sheriff’s deputies picked him up Wednesday in Arizona and drove him back to Fresno, where he was booked into the Fresno County Jail. Bail is set at $1 million.
Aguiniga was shot just before midnight in an apartment complex in the 36000 block of Giffen Drive in Huron, a town of about 7,000 people in southwestern Fresno County. Huron police received multiple calls about shots fired in the area; when police and emergency crews arrived, they found Aguiniga on the ground dead from his injuries
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office took over the investigation at the request of Huron police. Detectives developed leads that Torres was responsible for the shooting and learned that he had fled to the Phoenix area soon after the attack.
Arizona officers with the U.S. Marshals Service found Torres and arrested him Feb. 4. Torres waived his right to an extradition hearing.
Anyone with information about the case can contact Detective Carl Chalmers at 559-600-8207, or contact Valley Crime Stoppers at 559-496-7867 or www.valleycrimestoppers.org. Tips to Valley Crime Stoppers can be made anonymously and may be eligible for a reward.
This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 3:57 PM.
