Suspects In Deadly Pittsburg Burglary Plot Released With No Charges
PITTSBURG (CBS SF) - Suspects arrested on suspicion of murder this week in connection with a foiled burglary scheme that turned fatal in Pittsburg were being released from jail Friday after prosecutors declined to file charges, according to the district attorney's office.
Police arrested Charmaine Leon Guerrero Taijeron, 28, Matt Terrell Parker, 22, Charles Edward Parker, 21, and 23-year-old Jimmy Watkins Salgado after police said they and another accomplice, Robert Lindsey, 54, allegedly carried out a fake burglary in an attempt to scare Taijeron's husband into moving out of the couple's apartment.
None of the suspects had been charged as of Friday afternoon, and all but Salgado, who is on parole for an unrelated crime, will be released by the end of the day, according to Contra Costa County Deputy District Attorney Barry Grove.
"We are actively helping (police) with the investigation so we can get to truth of what happened as quickly as possible and evaluate whether or not there are any charges pending," Grove said.
He said that the ongoing investigation into the potential charges is expected to last through next week.
Police Lt. Ron Raman said Taijeron's husband, 29, had recently discovered that she was romantically involved with another man, who police identified as Matt Parker, and was planning to move out of the apartment the couple shared with their two children on Leland Lane in Pittsburg.
On Tuesday morning, Lindsey allegedly posed as a burglar, using a key provided by Taijeron to enter the apartment. After seeing that someone was trying to break in, he grabbed a gun from a back bedroom, Raman said.
He then returned to the now-open doorway and encountered Lindsey, who allegedly started a physical confrontation with the husband, according to police.
As the pair struggled, the husband saw that the intruder had a gun - which later was confirmed to be a replica firearm. After his own gun dropped to the floor, the man grabbed a knife and fatally stabbed Lindsey in the neck.
Lindsey had an extensive criminal history including several burglary and theft cases, Raman said.
Investigators suspected that Taijeron, working with her boyfriend, his brother, Salgado and Lindsey, had set up the burglary, hoping to scare her husband into moving out quickly. The husband had already agreed to move out after learning of Taijeron's infidelity, Raman said.
The four suspects were arrested on suspicion of murder under the state's provocative-act doctrine, which says that a participant in a crime may be held accountable if an accomplice's actions result in death.
All four suspects were taken to county jail where they were being held on $1 million bail.
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