3 suspects arrested in connection with February fatal stabbing in Pleasant Hill
Police in Pleasant Hill on Friday arrested three suspects in connection with the fatal stabbing of a custodian who was killed after working his shift at Pleasant Hill Park last February.
37-year-old Santiago Jacobo of Pittsburg was found with stab wounds early on the morning of February 10, 2024, when he was found unresponsive and lying unconscious by his wife in the parking lot of 147 Gregory Lane.
Police and medical personnel responded to the scene and determined Jacobo was deceased. He was a member of the janitorial staff who had been working at Pleasant Hill Park late the previous night.
Jacobo's became concerned when he failed to return home after his shift and went to the park, where she discovered him unresponsive and called 911. The stabbing left the Pleasant Hill community shocked.
According to a press release issued by Pleasanton police Friday afternoon, during a three month-long investigation into the homicide, police detectives obtained evidence and determined the victim and three identified suspects knew each other from working together at The Watermark at San Ramon, an assisted living facility.
Police were able to arrest the three suspects on Friday. Authorities identified the suspects as 31-year-old Concord resident Pablo Gutierrez-Morales, 24-year-old Antioch resident Vanessa Vera-Aguilar and 25-year-old Antioch resident Jazmin Ruiz. All three were booked into the Contra Costa County Jail in Martinez on charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Detectives determined that prior to Jacobo's murder, he had been involved in a relationship with suspect Vera-Aguilar while a second suspect, Gutierrez-Morales, was pursuing a new relationship with her. The evidence shows that the arrested suspects planned, coordinated, and carried out the attack on Jacobo after he finished his shift at Pleasant Hill Park.
Police detectives are asking anyone with information regarding Jacobo's death and the involved suspects to contact the Pleasant Hill Police Investigations Bureau at (925) 288-4630.
Police offered their condolences to the Jacobo family and thanked the San Ramon Police Department and the Pleasant Hill Recreation and Parks District for their assistance in the homicide investigation.