Whatcom man suspected of helping Ferndale murder suspect, allegedly driving him to Oregon
A second Whatcom County man and the third person overall has been arrested in connection with the January homicide of Jose Esquivel Hernandez outside a large Ferndale gathering.
The Ferndale Police Department on Friday, March 25, booked Marcelo Tate Rodriguez, 18, on suspicion of first-degree rendering criminal assistance. Jail records show Rodriguez is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail.
As previously reported in The Bellingham Herald, Miguel-Angel Miranda, 23, was arrested Jan. 28 in Arizona and has been charged with second-degree murder for the Jan. 23 killing of Hernandez.
During the homicide investigation, Ferndale investigators learned that Miranda and Rodriguez are friends, according to information provided by City of Ferndale spokesperson Riley Sweeney in an email to The Herald Tuesday, March 29.
Rodriguez told investigators that he arrived at the party just after the shooting and left shortly afterwards, Riley reported.
But investigators believe Rodriguez helped coordinate Miranda’s escape from Washington, according to Riley. Records reportedly showed several phone calls between Rodriguez and Miranda and that Miranda had gone to an area near Rodriguez’s home in Lynden immediately after the shooting.
Investigators also learned that Rodriguez had driven Miranda to Oregon, before Miranda traveled to Arizona, where he was ultimately arrested Jan. 28, Riley reported.
Rodriguez was arrested Friday by Ferndale Police near Sumas with help from the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, according to Riley.
Rodriguez is the second person arrested for allegedly helping Miranda get to Arizona. On March 10, Miranda’s girlfriend, Kimberly Trujillo Mendoza, 21, was booked into Whatcom County Jail on suspicion of first-degree rendering criminal assistance after witnesses reported seeing Trujillo Mendoza and Miranda at the party together before the shooting, and traffic cameras later captured a photo of Trujillo Mendoza’s car traveling south from Kingman, Arizona, on Jan. 24.
Whatcom County Superior Court records show Trujillo Mendoza was charged March 14 and is scheduled to make a preliminary appearance April 1.
Miranda was arrested Jan. 28 in Phoenix, Arizona, and was booked into the Whatcom County Jail on Feb. 9, where he remains incarcerated in lieu of $5 million bail, according to court records. Miranda pleaded not guilty to the charges Feb. 18, according to earlier reporting in The Bellingham Herald, and a jury trial is currently scheduled to begin June 6.
The Ferndale Police Department is still searching for a witness to Hernandez’s shooting death, previously identified as Michael Archouletta. A second witness, Jimmy Abitia, was arrested March 18 in an unrelated incident in which Abitia reportedly carjacked a vehicle from a man who gave his sister a ride from Snohomish County.
The shooting
Ferndale police were called at 12:18 a.m. on Jan. 23 to the American Legion building on Second Avenue in Ferndale for the report of a shooting at a large party, according to court records.
Officers found Hernandez outside the building with two gunshot wounds to his mid-torso. Hernandez was taken to St. Joseph’s hospital in Bellingham, where he later died, court records state.
Witnesses told police there was an altercation before Hernandez was shot, the records show.
Hernandez denied Miranda and two other people he was with entry to the building, a witness told police. The witness and Hernandez then escorted Miranda and the two people toward the parking lot, where an argument between them began, according to court records.
One of the two people Miranda was with allegedly told Miranda to pull out a gun and shoot Hernandez. Miranda pulled a black handgun from his waistband and shot Hernandez, according to court records. Miranda and the two others fled in a vehicle, the records state.
Witnesses provided a photo of Miranda, who is a known gang member, and identified him as the man who shot Hernandez, according to court documents.
Miranda has a previous felony conviction for first-degree criminal assistance from a 2016 drive-by shooting incident, in which he was the driver in a shooting that occurred on Haxton Way. He was sentenced to six months in jail, according to court records.
Miranda also has previous juvenile convictions for malicious mischief, criminal trespassing, obstructing law enforcement and assault, court records show.
This story was originally published March 29, 2022 at 8:55 AM.
