Murder suspect turns himself in A man...

Murder suspect turns himself in

A man suspected of beating another man to death is being held on

one count of murder at Mens Central Jail in Santa Ana, after turning

himself into police on Dec. 8, police said.

Gilbert Garcia Jr., 41, of San Bernardino, was identified by a

witness in the beating death of William Pascoe, III, 47, said Orange

County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jim Amormino.

Garcia called police from a pay phone in San Bernardino and turned

himself in at the urging of relatives, Amormino said.

Pascoe’s body was found by a passerby on Dec. 6, underneath an

overpass by the Santa Ana river at Hamilton Avenue and Brookhurst

Street.

Pascoe was so badly beaten that police were only able to identify

his gender at first. Police determined the cause of death as blunt

force trauma to the head, Amormino said.

Pascoe was identified on Wednesday, after his fingerprints were

processed , Amormino said.

Pascoe’s last known address was in Santa Ana. He was a gardener by

trade, Amormino said.

“We’re not sure if he was living in Santa Ana or was a transient,”

Amormino said.

While it is unclear whether or not Pascoe was living in the areas

around the Santa Ana river, Amormino said that the two men probably

knew each other.

“More than likely in cases like this, the suspect and the victim

did know each other,” Amormino said.

Police are trying to locate additional witnesses, Amormino said.

Garcia is set to appear in court on Jan. 7.

Mayberry pleads not guilty

Robin Christine Mayberry, 34, of Huntington Beach, pleaded not

guilty at her arraignment Monday in a Santa Ana court to charges that

she stole disability benefits.

Mayberryreceived Supplemental Security Income benefits based on

disability, federal prosecutor Robert Keenan said. Mayberry made

false statements to the Social Security Administration to ensure

continued payment of the benefits, Keenan said.

The total loss to the government is about $35,000 and Mayberry

faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a fine of

$500,000.

Mayberry was granted a $5,000 bail, and her trial has been

assigned to a district judge for a date in the middle of February,

Keenan said.