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SALT LAKE CITY — A Logan man wanted in California for murder will remain in the Cache County Jail without bail for now.
Daniel Joseph Espinoza, 49, is wanted in Riverside, California, for investigation of murder.
On Oct. 24, the Riverside Fire Department was treating a person involved in a bicycle accident when firefighters witnessed a fight nearby, according to a search warrant affidavit filed in Cache County’s 1st District Court.
Firefighters watched as Espinoza appeared to strike another man in the torso, the warrant states.
“The victim fell to the ground and (firefighters) began treating him. The victim, later identified as Raul Nava, was transported to Riverside Community Hospital where he was pronounced deceased. Two knives were located on the ground near a large blood stain,” according to the warrant.
The attacker ran from the scene. Through a photo lineup, Espinoza was picked by witnesses as the person who “looked most like” the attacker, the affidavit states. When police detectives attempted to find Espinoza for questioning, they learned he had possibly fled to Utah.
On Nov. 13, detectives received a call from a woman in Utah who said Espinoza had come to her door and told her that “he was on the run from California for stabbing ‘Raul,’” the warrant states.
California authorities drafted an arrest warrant. On Nov. 15, Logan police spotted Espinoza’s car in a parking lot on Main Street and arrested him. They learned he was staying at a nearby hotel.
Espinoza is fighting extradition, according to court records. He was charged in Utah with being a fugitive from justice on Nov. 26.
A preliminary hearing on that case was held Thursday. Espinoza was ordered to stand trial on that charge. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for Dec. 23.
