Merced man gets prison for helping accused killer of Newman police corporal
A federal judge Wednesday sentenced Erik Quiroz Razo, 28, to 21 months in prison for aiding the flight of the accused killer of Newman police Cpl. Ronil Singh.
A jury in September convicted Razo and another man of helping Paulo Virgen Mendoza, 33, avoid capture during a 55-hour manhunt after the shooting on Dec. 26, 2018. They are among several people with ties to Mendoza who were prosecuted in U.S. District Court in Fresno.
Razo is an undocumented immigrant from Michoacán, Mexico, who was living in Merced when the shooting happened, a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Authorities said Razo helped Mendoza hide his truck after the shooting, drove him to various locations, and got rid of his loaded gun.
“This defendant, a convicted felon and previously deported alien, played a critical role in helping a man accused of killing a police officer to elude apprehension,” U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott said in the release. “He disposed of the murder weapon, and he urged those close to him to not tell anyone about his activities.”
Singh, then 33, was killed after pulling over a suspected drunk driver at Merced Street and Eucalyptus Avenue at about 1 a.m.
Mendoza was eventually arrested near Bakersfield and remains in Stanislaus County Jail. A preliminary hearing is set to start April 7 to determine whether he should stand trial for murder in Stanislaus Superior Court.
The federal jury in Razo’s case also convicted Mendoza’s brother, Conrado Virgen Mendoza, of conspiring to aid and abet the accused killer. Conrado Virgen Mendoza will return to court Jan. 21 to set a sentencing date.
Also in September, Paulo Mendoza’s girlfriend, Ana Leydi Cervantes Sanchez, pleaded guilty to conspiring to aid and abet her boyfriend to avoid prosecution, conspiring to harbor an illegal alien, and harboring an illegal alien. She was sentenced to one year and one day in prison.
Paulo Mendoza’s other brother, Adrian Virgen Mendoza, pleaded guilty to conspiring to aid and abet his brother to avoid prosecution. He was sentenced to one year and nine months in prison.
Bernabe Madrigal Castañeda pleaded guilty to conspiracy and was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison.
This story was originally published January 16, 2020 at 8:47 AM.
