Man wanted in 2008 slaying nabbed in Mexico
After nearly four years on the run, a man wanted in a 2008 murder in Modesto’s airport neighborhood was found in Mexico and booked into the Stanislaus County Jail on Thursday.
Maurilio Vasquez, 25, was charged with murder, attempted murder and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.
Vasquez is suspected of shooting to death 51-year-old Clarence “Buddy” Mason on April 29, 2008.
Detectives believe Vasquez rode up on a bicycle and shot Mason and a friend as they walked Mason’s dog at about 2:30 a.m. near Kerr and Larkin avenues in Modesto’s airport neighborhood.
Mason was shot in the back and pronounced dead at the scene and his friend suffered a nonlife-threatening gunshot wound to the leg.
Vasquez was found in Michoacán, Mexico, in the small city of El Tigre located between Guadalajara to the north and Morelia to the south, according to District Attorney Birgit Fladager.
He was arresetd in cooperation with Mexican Federal Law Enforcement in September. Vasquez, being a Mexican citizen, fought extradition and lost, resulting in his transfer to the Federal Bureau of Investigations in Mexico City.
He was extradited from Mexico City to San Francisco, where officials from the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s office and the Federal Bureau of Investigations took custody and brought him back to Modesto, where he was booked on a no bail warrant.
Vasquez faces enhancements for allegedly causing great bodily injury to Mason’s friend, using a firearm and committing the crimes for the benefit of the Norteño criminal street gang.
Each enhancement can add time to a sentence.
Vasquez appeared briefly Friday afternoon in Stanislaus County Superior Court for his arraignment hearing. He was wearing a red and white jail inmate jumpsuit with shackles on his wrists and ankles.
A Spanish language interpreter assisted him in court. Judge Dawna Reeves read aloud his charges in court.
The judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf, since the court had yet to appoint a defense attorney to represent him.
She scheduled Vasquez to return to court Tuesday for a pretrial hearing.
The District Attorney’s Office asks anyone with information about Vasquez or the 2008 murder to call Crime Stoppers at (209) 521-4636. Tipsters can e-mail tips through the Crime Stoppers Web site, www.stancrimetips.org, or text tips to CRIMES (274637) by typing "Tip704" plus the message. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and are eligible for a reward.
This story was originally published March 9, 2012 at 2:07 PM with the headline "Man wanted in 2008 slaying nabbed in Mexico."