Gilroy Man Arrested In Connection With Gas Station Murder

GILROY, CA — A Gilroy man was arrested in connection with a murder in Merced County last week.

According to the Merced County Sheriff’s Office, 51-year-old Israel Espinoza of Gilroy was identified as the suspect in the stabbing of a man at a Chevron in the area of Highway 33 and Highway 152, known locally as the Dos Palos Y.

On April 23, deputies found a 53-year-old male victim with multiple stab wounds after reports of an altercation between two male subjects in the Chevron parking lot. The man later died from his injuries and the suspect fled the scene prior to police arriving, according to a news release.

The Merced County Sheriff worked with the Gilroy Police Department in the investigation. After identifying Espinoza as the suspect, a SWAT team from the Gilroy Police Department served a search warrant at Espinoza’s residence, but he wasn’t home.

Espinoza was later found in the 8600 block of San Ysidro Avenue in Gilroy by Merced Sheriff’s investigators and taken into custody without incident, authorities said.