Prosecutors charge another defendant in deadly west Modesto robbery

Prosecutors have charged another defendant, Alexander Silbeira Mendoza, with murder in the shooting of a man in west Modesto during an apparent robbery several months ago.

Authorities say Mendoza, Jacob Silva and Anthony Centeno are responsible for the shooting death of 29-year-old Joseph Carl Levi Wyse. Maira Vasquez is charged with being an accessory.

Mendoza, Silva and Vasquez appeared in court Thursday morning for a brief hearing. Superior Court Judge Thomas Zeff scheduled the defendants to return to court April 21 for another pretrial hearing. Mendoza and Silva also are charged with robbery in the shooting death.

Centeno, 44, died while in custody at the Stanislaus County Jail in early February. Sheriff’s officials have said Centeno apparently took his own life, hanging himself with a makeshift rope inside his single-inmate cell.

Mendoza was taken into custody weeks after the shooting and was formally charged with murder Dec. 5. He was 17 years old when the shooting occurred but is being prosecuted as an adult. He was held at the county’s Juvenile Hall until a few weeks ago, when he transferred to the adult jail on his 18th birthday.

Deputy District Attorney John Baker on Thursday told the judge that prosecutors have decided not to seek the death penalty in this case. The charges listed made the case eligible for the death penalty.

The shooting was reported shortly before 1 a.m. Nov. 4. Sheriff’s deputies were called to the 600 block of Marshall Avenue, where they found Wyse dead.

Silva, 19, and Vasquez, 18, are Hayward residents. The prosecutor has argued that Vasquez was in the car and knew a slaying would occur. He also said she was at the crime scene and lied to investigators about Silva’s whereabouts.

Mendoza and Silva remain in custody at the jail, while Vasquez remains free on $50,000 bail.

This story was originally published April 2, 2015 at 6:49 PM with the headline "Prosecutors charge another defendant in deadly west Modesto robbery."