On July 27, 2018, 32-year-old Bernabe Gonzalez, of Merced, was convicted of first degree murder by a Merced County jury, in connection with the September 2017 murder of 34-year-old Maria Garcia-Vargas, announced Merced County District Attorney Larry D. Morse II.
Gonzalez and Garcia-Vargas met at an orchard in Merced County in the early morning hours on September 1, 2017. After the two had a disagreement regarding the affair they were having, Gonzalez pulled out a knife and stabbed Garcia-Vargas seven times, and cut her throat. Gonzalez
then dumped her body in a nearby canal, where it was found a few hours later by a farm worker. Shortly after the murder, Gonzalez went home, packed up his house, and fled to Arizona.
Within three days investigators linked Gonzalez to the murder, he was arrested in Arizona on September 4, 2017.
“We thank the jury for their service and we are obviously satisfied with their verdict,” said Deputy District Attorney Thomas Min, who prosecuted the case.
Gonzalez will be sentenced on August 24 at 8:30 and he faces 26 years to life in prison.