Erik Eduardo Navarro, 26, has been arrested in Oklahoma on unrelated traffic charges, ending a two-month manhunt following an alleged brutal assault on a California grandmother. Navarro, of Orange County, was taken into custody by the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office.
Detectives from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, working with their Oklahoma counterparts and the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office, obtained an extradition warrant and took Navarro into custody on Tuesday after flying to Oklahoma to retrieve him.
Navarro is accused of taking advantage of the generosity of 71-year-old Therese Garcia. She had reportedly invited Navarro into her Crestline home earlier this year after he claimed to need a place to stay before a job interview. According to her family, Garcia provided him with food and shelter, believing him to be a young man down on his luck.
However, the situation allegedly soured, with Navarro reportedly beginning to make demands and assert control over Garcia's home. On August 25, when Garcia asked him to leave due to his behavior, Navarro is alleged to have attacked her with a metal baseball bat while she was sleeping.
Garcia’s family stated that Navarro continued the assault until he believed she was dead. He then allegedly stole her credit cards, keys, phone, and electric bicycle before fleeing the scene.
The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department reported that Garcia sustained significant injuries, including a laceration to her forehead, a cut eyebrow, swollen hands, and swelling around her eyes that impaired her vision. She reportedly experienced vomiting blood for several days following the attack. A GoFundMe campaign was launched by her family to help cover her medical expenses, noting that she was near death.
Navarro has been booked into the West Valley Detention Center. He faces charges including Battery with Serious Injury, Elder Abuse Likely to Produce Great Bodily Injury or Death, Assault with a Deadly Weapon, Robbery, and Damaging a Wireless Communication Device to Prevent Help. His bail has been set at $250,000, and his court date is scheduled for Friday, according to jail records.
Garcia's daughter expressed her devastation, stating, "My mom didn't deserve this. She was simply trying to help someone she believed was in need, something she has always done throughout her life. This time, her kindness was met with unimaginable violence."