Manteca home searched in connection with Modesto homicide

Modesto police served a search warrant Wednesday morning at a home here, in connection to a 2016 homicide on Prescott Road in Modesto.

The victim in the Aug. 19 homicide was 17-year-old Marcus Esparza of Modesto. He crashed the stolen Honda coupe he was driving on Prescott Road just south of Mount Vernon Drive after being shot. He was ejected from the car. Police called the crash “catastrophic,” and the impact was so forceful that the Honda’s engine was torn free.

“We believe the victim did steal the car and that the theft may have played a role in his death,” Modesto Police Department spokeswoman Heather Graves said. She said Esparza died from the crash but being shot contributed to the crash and his death.

Stockton police last month recovered a vehicle believed to have been involved in the homicide. Another car was chasing the vehicle Esparza was driving and someone inside that car fired at him. The recovery of the suspect vehicle led to the search warrant Wednesday.

Within minutes of SWAT and other officers descending upon the 900 block of Jade Place on Wednesday, three men had been handcuffed and detained. A woman who lives next door to the targeted home said her son, who lives there, was one of the men, and the others were friends of his.

For many minutes more, police used a loudspeaker to call for anyone else in the house to come out. Officers launched a drone aircraft to watch for anyone fleeing from the back of the home. And a camera-equipped robot then was sent into parts of the home to search before officers entered.

No one else was found in the house, and police eventually let all of the men go.

Another lead being pursued in the case is the recovery by Stockton police of a car believed to be involved in the homicide.

Graves said police are thankful for tips that have come in about the case and encourage anyone else with information to come forward.

Contact Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward. Tipsters may also text information to Crime Stoppers at 274637; type “TIP704” along with the message.

This story was originally published March 15, 2017 at 2:02 PM with the headline "Manteca home searched in connection with Modesto homicide."