SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A second suspect has been jailed in connection with the shooting death of a man whose body was found in a shallow grave two months ago in Balboa Park, authorities reported Thursday.
Brandon Mario Winegarden, 28, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of being an accessory after the fact in the killing of fellow transient James Garcia, 43, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Acting on a tip from the public, detectives on July 25 found Garcia's body buried in a canyon hillside alongside state Route 163 near Richmond Street, SDPD Lt. Jud Campbell said. An autopsy determined that the victim had been shot to death.
Homicide detectives soon identified the suspected shooter, 41-year-old Jeffrey Michael Jones, Campbell said. Jones was arrested on Cabrillo Bridge on July 28 for an alleged probation violation and booked six days later on suspicion of murdering Garcia.
Investigators believe that the victim was gunned down on May 23 near the location where the makeshift grave ultimately was discovered, and that Winegarden helped Jones bury the body, the lieutenant said.
The victim and suspects evidently were homeless and living in Balboa Park at the time of the shooting, according to police.
What prompted the alleged murder remains unclear.
"The (SDPD) Homicide Unit continues to investigate this case to develop more information regarding Garcia's death, including clarifying the motive for the shooting," Campbell said.
Winegarden was being held at San Diego Central Jail on $50,000 bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Friday afternoon. Jones is in no-bail custody at Vista Detention Facility, awaiting trial in the case.
