Suspects named in Ruiz killing
Four suspects have been charged by the Santa Barbara
County Sheriff’s Department with the murder last September of Adan Cervantez Ruiz, 23, at the
site of a marijuana garden near Lompoc. Charged with the murder of Ruiz and
held without bail were Servando Cabrera, 20, and Jose
Juan Villa-Cervantes, 26, both of
Perris, and Horacio
Santoyo, 19, and Dimas Santoyo, 20, both of Santa Maria.
They were arrested and booked into the Santa Barbara
County Jail, charged with killing Ruiz on Sept. 15 when some of the suspects
were transporting processed and packaged marijuana out of the growing area
south of Lompoc along Highway 1.
The victim’s body was found on Sept. 17, wrapped in a
sleeping bag, along Highway 154 about a mile east of Highway 101, detectives
said.
During the murder investigation, detectives found and
eradicated the marijuana plantation, assisted by personnel from the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP).
The Sheriff’s Department announced the charges against the
four suspects, adding that the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s office had
reviewed the evidence and approved the arrests.
“Sheriff’s investigators are confident they have
solved the investigation into the murder of Adan
Ruiz,” the statement said.