SAN DIEGO (CNS) — A third suspect was behind bars Tuesday in connection with the shooting death of a man whose body was found in a shallow grave last summer in Balboa Park -- an alleged murder involving a romantic triangle.
Gisela Icys Bowers, 42, was arrested last Thursday on suspicion of taking part in the slaying of 43-year-old James Garcia, who, like the trio of suspects in the case, was homeless at the time of his death, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Acting on a tip from the public, detectives found Garcia's body buried on a hillside alongside state Route 163 near Richmond Street on July 25, SDPD Lt. Jonathan Dungan said.
The suspected shooter, 41-year-old Jeffrey Michael Jones, was arrested three days later. An alleged accomplice, Brandon Mario Winegarden, 28, was jailed Sept. 18 on suspicion of being an accessory after the fact.
Investigators concluded that the victim had been gunned down weeks or months before his death came to light near the location where the makeshift grave ultimately was discovered, and that Winegarden helped Jones bury the body, police said.
What prompted the alleged murder remains unclear, though Bowers had previously been in a dating relationship with both Garcia and Jones, according to Dungan. Her alleged role in Garcia's death remains unclear, though she was booked on suspicion of first-degree murder.
"The (SDPD) Homicide Unit continues to investigate this case to develop more information regarding Garcia's death," the lieutenant said Tuesday.
Bowers was being held without bail at Las Colinas women's jail in Santee pending trial.
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