*CRIMINAL CASE UPDATE*
MAN CHARGED IN 1996 MURDER OF 13-YEAR-OLD MURRIETA GIRL SCHEDULED TO HAVE PRELIMINARY HEARING

MURRIETA - A man who eluded capture for more than a decade in the murder of a 13-yearold Murrieta girl is scheduled to appear before a judge who will determine if there is enough evidence for him to stand trial.

Crispin Solorio Garcia, now 30, is set to have his preliminary hearing on Thursday, June 25, 2009, in Department S201 at the Southwest Justice Center, 30755-D Auld Road, Murrieta. Solorio Garcia is charged with the February 1996 murder of Sophia Briseno, whose body was found in a field near a Murrieta cemetery by a man and his teenage daughter walking their dog. Sophia, a student at Thompson Middle School in Murrieta, had been stabbed numerous times.

Police quickly determined that Solorio Garcia was the killer. Solorio Garcia, who was 17 at the time, and Sophia had been dating but were estranged at the time of her murder.

Solorio Garcia fled to Mexico, eluding capture until June 2007 when authorities found him in a Mexican jail using a different name. Solorio Garcia was later extradited back to the United States to be brought to justice for Sophia's murder and he faces a potential life sentence.

The case, SWF027815, is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Sarah Crowley.