Los Banos homicide suspect in hospital; arraignment delayed

Arraignment for four members of a family who are charged with killing a 35-year-old Los Banos man was delayed until next week because one of the suspects remained in a hospital following an incident in jail.

Charles F. Lujan, 59, his brother Steven A. Lujan, 55, nephew Ronnie Lujan, 34, and family member Tony Lujan III, 27, are charged with murder in the Sept. 13 death of Rene Cruz Sandoval.

The suspects were to be arraigned on Friday, but one of the men, Charles Lujan, was not present in court.

Merced County Sheriff’s Lt. Tim Moore said Charles Lujan was hospitalized following an incident that happened at 10:37 a.m. on Sept. 15 in the Merced County main jail. That would have been less than 12 hours after he was booked into custody, according to jail records.

A sheriff’s office investigation into the incident was ongoing, Moore said, adding there was no further information available.

Judge David Moranda delayed arraignment to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Los Banos Police found Cruz Sandoval bleeding heavily outside an alleyway home off H Street. He had suffered at least one gunshot wound and died at the scene.

Police were able to arrest Charles, Steven and Ronnie Lujan on Sept. 14 in Merced. Tony Lujan III was arrested Sept. 17 in Gilroy.

The four suspects were identified by police as family members. In a previous interview, Los Banos Police Cmdr. Rey Reyna said police don’t believe Cruz Sandoval’s death was gang-related.

This story was originally published September 23, 2016 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Los Banos homicide suspect in hospital; arraignment delayed."