CALIFORNIA CITY, Calif. (KERO) — Cal City police takes Gordon Ross Tripp into custody as a suspect for the murder of Luis Esparza Jr. that took place on Dec. 8.
- In this video, Maribel Fierros, the victim's mother, expresses relief after the arrest and says she should not have doubted Larry Brandenburg, Cal City Police investigator
- Cal City Police Chief Jesse Hightower says he feels pride after the arrests, one of three that took place on Wednesday morning.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Cal City police announced a breakthrough in a murder investigation with an arrest on Wednesday.
I'm Steve Virgen your neighborhood reporter.
Gordon Ross Tripp of Cal City was taken into custody as the suspect in the murder of Luis Esparza Jr. on December 8th.
“I’m just thankful that Detective (Larry) Brandenburg did what he said he was going to do and he promised me he was going to get someone arrested and he did it. And I apologize for doubting him because he did it. And I’m very happy about that,” said Maribel Fierros, the victim’s mother
Fierros said she heard the news Wednesday when Cal City police located Tripp... during a multi-agency sweep of several locations while serving three search warrants.
Tripp, who goes by ‘Gordy,’ was then transported to Lerdo Jail.
“There were some witnesses at the scene, that were initially very reluctant to come forward out of fear for their safety, so it took a couple of days to get them to cooperate and get a statement of what they saw and heard," said Larry Brandenburg, Cal City police's investigator.
Fierros says she knows Tripp.
“He went to my son’s candlelight vigil and hugged us and cried. And he did it the whole time. So that’s disgusting to me.”
Cal City Police Chief Jesse Hightower said he hoped the arrest helped the victim’s family gain something positive.
Virgen: “How did it feel to make that arrest?”
“It feels good … I’m proud. I’m proud of the work that everyone here does. A lot of it goes unseen. But when you can put a case together. And the personnel it takes to do an event like this. And to end it with an arrest. That’s a tremendous feeling. I’m overwhelmed because it’s pride. It’s not sadness … it’s pride,” Hightower said.
If you have any information about the homicide you can contact the Cal City Police Department at (760) 373-8606.
In Cal City, I'm Steve Virgen, your neighborhood reporter.
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