Suspect in fatal Turlock shooting to be arraigned in April
The man accused of killing a Livingston woman he allegedly had been stalking appeared in court on Friday but his arraignment was continued to April 25 at the request of his defense attorney. A reason was not given in court.
Juan Francisco Ibarra-Tapia was originally scheduled to be arraigned Thursday, but he couldn’t be in court then because he is in a “safety cell” designed for suicidal inmates at the Stanislaus County Jail, authorities said.
Ibarra-Tapia, who turned 23 on Thursday, has been charged with the first-degree murder of 22-year-old Zobeyda “Zoe” Esquerra and evading a peace officer.
He also faces enhancements for personally discharging a firearm and committing the crimes while out on bail for the charge of stalking, as well as a special circumstance of lying in wait. If found true, a special circumstance makes a defendant eligible for a death sentence or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Ibarra-Tapia, also a resident of Livingston, is accused of stalking Esquerra for months and then shooting her outside the O’Reilly Auto Parts Store on Geer Road in Turlock Tuesday night. He allegedly led police on a pursuit before crashing into a residential fence and hiding in the neighborhood for several hours before being captured.
When Ibarra-Tapia was booked into jail, “staff made a determination during the intake process that he needed a higher level of direct supervision to maintain his own personal security and well-being,” said Stanislaus County sheriff’s Sgt. Luke Schwartz.
According to the Sheriff’s Department website, inmates are placed in safety cells when they are suicidal or displaying “bizarre behavior which results in the destruction of property.”
Inmates who are in safety cells are checked on at least twice every 30 minutes. Some are removed of their clothing and given a “safety garment ... as a humane alternative to nudity,” according to the site.
Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Kellee C. Westbrook assigned an attorney from the Public Defender’s Office to represent Ibarra-Tapia and continued his arraignment to Friday morning. She also set his bail at “no bail.”
This story was originally published March 10, 2022 at 2:57 PM.
