3 arrested in slaying amid home-invasion robbery in Merced

Three men accused of being would-be robbers who burst into a Merced marijuana dispensary this week could face murder charges because the home-invasion plan resulted in the death of a fellow suspect, law enforcement authorities said Friday.

Wilfredo Negrete, 29, was killed early Monday during a gunfight that broke out at the home in the 3100 block of Franklin Road, sheriff’s deputies said.

Negrete and the three other men knocked on the door of the home about 2 a.m., claiming they were having car trouble, deputies said. The men are accused of forcing their way into the home in the Beachwood area of Merced.

Negrete was shot and killed by “one of the residents of the home who was defending himself,” Detective-Sgt. Chuck Hale told the Sun-Star.

“But because (Negrete) was killed during the commission of an armed home-invasion robbery, they will be booked on suspicion of murder,” Hale said. “If they hadn’t committed the home invasion, (Negrete) would not have been killed.”

Two of the suspects, 27-year-old Fabian Martinez and 35-year-old Mitch Lira, were shot and wounded during the incident, along with the homeowner, investigators said.

Martinez was arrested Tuesday after his wounds were treated.

Lira was arrested Wednesday. The third suspect, Kao Saeteurn, 33, was arrested Friday.

Detectives have declined to comment on any details regarding the weapons used in the attack.

Deputies found an undisclosed amount of marijuana inside the home.

Hale said detectives “absolutely” believe the residents of the home were defending themselves. The case will be turned over to the Merced County District Attorney’s Office for review.

“It’s still too early to say whether this may have been gang-related,” Hale said. “We have not ruled out that possibility.”

According to Merced County jail records, Negrete had a long criminal history that included numerous arrests, mostly involving drug offenses and probation violations, dating back to at least 2005.

His most recent arrest came Oct. 13 and resulted in a conviction for controlled substance possession. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail and released from custody Dec. 28, jail and court records show.

He was sentenced to serve 32 months in state prison in 2009 on charges of drug and firearms possession by a convicted felon in connection with an arrest in Hayward, according to court records.

Lira and Martinez both have lengthy criminal records involving numerous drug- and theft-related convictions, jail records show.

Saeteurn pleaded guilty in June 2014 to a misdemeanor domestic violence charge. He was sentenced to nine days in jail and three years of probation. He was arrested again in August on a misdemeanor drug charge. The drug case is pending in Merced Superior Court, according to court records.

Negrete’s death marked the third homicide of 2016 in Merced County and the second within the Sheriff’s Office’s jurisdiction. Both of the office’s homicide cases have ended with suspects in custody.

This story was originally published March 18, 2016 at 1:25 PM with the headline "3 arrested in slaying amid home-invasion robbery in Merced."