Police arrested a Turlock man for the killing of Javier Becerril Jr., the Hollister resident who was found dead in the trunk of a Tesla July 9 on Highway 152 in Merced County.
Manual Salceda, 39, was arrested Oct. 11 following a three-month investigation into Becerril’s death, the California Highway Patrol said in an Oct. 21 press release. The investigation was conducted by the CHP’s Central Division Major Crimes Unit.
CHP detectives determined that Becerril had been physically assaulted before his body was placed in the trunk. The vehicle was found parked on Highway 152 near Lower Cottonwood Road, after police responded to a report of a missing person.
Investigators used physical evidence, surveillance footage and other leads to identify Salceda as a suspect in Becerril’s killing.
Police said they also learned during the investigation that Salceda may have used multiple false identities to evade capture.
On Oct. 11, police found out that a vehicle believed to be transporting Salceda was located near Dublin, says the press release. Investigators tracked the vehicle through several counties in the Bay Area.
The investigation led police to a gas station on Road 8 near Interstate 5 in Woodland, where they arrested Salceda without incident.
Salceda was charged with murder on Oct. 20 in Merced County Superior Court.
“As California’s state police, the CHP is committed to pursuing violent offenders and working with our law enforcement partners to bring those responsible to justice,” said CHP Chief Damon Gilmore. “Our detectives tracked the evidence across multiple counties to locate and arrest the suspect in Javier Becerril Jr.’s killing.”
