Suspect in Atwater double homicide arrested in Arizona, authorities say

A man suspected in an October 2023 Atwater double homicide has been arrested after he was located in Arizona, law enforcement officials said.

The suspect, identified as Danny Garibay, 43, was located and arrested in Yuma, Arizona on Dec. 30, said Atwater Detective-Sgt. Dave Sarginson.. In October of 2023, authorities identified Garibay as being involved in the Oct. 2, 2023 killing of Evangelina Ybarra, 42, and Ramon Lopez, 41, who were found shot to death inside a vehicle in a parking lot in the 2500 block of Shaffer Road.

The Atwater Police Department said Garibay was arrested by a Yuma Police Department officer on multiple weapons and narcotics charges. According to Atwater Police Detective-Sgt. Dave Sarginson, the police department is working with the Merced County Sheriff’s Office to extradite Garibay to Merced County where he is expected to face charges in connection to the Oct. 2, 2023 double homicide.

Sarginson said Garibay was arrested when he failed to identify himself during a bicycle stop. Garibay and Ybarra were previously married and Garibay attended school with both Ybarra and Lopez, Sarginson said.

Atwater Police officers responded at about 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 2, 2023, to multiple reports of shots fired in a parking lot in the 2500 block of Shaffer Road. The arriving officers located Ybarra and Lopez who had both been shot multiple times, inside a vehicle. Police said both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

“We hope this arrest provides a measure of closure for the families of the victims and reassures our community that justice will be served,” Atwater Police Chief Richard McEachin said in a news release.

Authorities said the case remains under investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Atwater Police Detective-Sgt. Dave Sarginson at 209-357-6394 or by email at dsarginson@atwater.org.

This story was originally published January 3, 2025 at 9:11 AM.