Charges filed in killing of 2-year-old Thermal boy
A murder charge was filed today against a Thermal mansuspected in the beating death of a 2-year-old boy.
Daniel Rodriguez Valenzuela, located Sunday near the border in Calexico,is accused in the May 17 death of Jorge Lizarraga.
Valenzuela, 24, was being held in the county jail in Indio on $1 millionbail and is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon at Indio’s LarsonJustice Center.
Authorities received a medical aid call involving the toddler in the88000 block of Airport Boulevard in Thermal. The boy was taken a hospital,where he was pronounced dead from blunt force trauma, according to theRiverside County Sheriff’s Department.
About 2 a.m. Sunday, sheriff’s detectives got a tip that Valenzuela,called “a person of interest” in the case, was near the border crossing inCalexico, sheriff’s Sgt. Jeff Buompensiero said.
Shortly before midnight, Valenzuela, a passenger in a vehicle, tried tocross the border in downtown Calexico, according to U.S. Customs and BorderProtection.
“During a routine query of law enforcement databases, the CBP officerdiscovered that Valenzuela was wanted on a warrant for suspicion of homicideout of Riverside County,” Customs spokesman John Campos said.
Customs officers used a fingerprint identification system to confirmValenzuela’s identity, and he was later turned over to the Riverside CountySheriff’s Department, Campos said.
