Cold Case Detectives Arrest a Suspect in the 1992 Murder of Fidelmar Garcia 
DATE OF RELEASE: October 16, 2014
DATE/TIME OF INCIDENT: January 12, 1992/10:00 pm
INCIDENT: PC 187 – Homicide
LOCATION: Newberry Springs
SUSPECT: Gabino Mondragon Morales, age 49 a resident of Phoenix, Arizona
VICTIM: Fidelmar Meza Garcia, age 25 of Arvin, CA
SUMMARY:
On January 12, 1992, a Hispanic male adult was found shot to death on the side of Newberry Springs Road, two and a half miles east of Old National Trails Highway in Newberry Springs. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Detail was summoned to the scene and detectives began a homicide investigation. Detectives positively identified the victim as Fidel Meza Garcia, age 25 from Arvin, California.
In 1992, numerous family, friends, and witnesses were interviewed regarding Garcia’s murder. For several years, Garcia lived in the United States for 9 months during the harvest season and Mexico for three, during the off season. Garcia worked in the fruit fields in Arvin, to support his wife and child in Mexico.
On January 11, 1992, at approximately 11:00pm, witnesses observed two armed men kidnap Garcia from his residence in Arvin, California. The following morning, Garcia was found shot to death in San Bernardino County, 170 miles south of his residence. Homicide investigators conducted an exhaustive investigation, but the case went cold.
On July 3, 2014, the Sheriff’s Department’s Cold Case Detectives reopened the case. The detectives identified, located and interviewed numerous witnesses, which resulted in evidence identifying the suspect, Gabino Mondragon Morales, as a suspect in this murder. On October 8, 2014, cold case detectives traveled to Phoenix, Arizona and interviewed Morales. At the conclusion of the interview, Morales was arrested and booked into the Maricopa County Jail for the Murder of Fidelmar Meza Garcia. Morales was transported back to San Bernardino County on Thursday, October 16, 2014 and booked into the West Valley Detention Center.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact Detectives Jerry Davenport or Rob Trostle at (909) 387-3589. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are urged to call the We-tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME (27463) or you may leave information on the We-Tip website at www.wetip.com.
Refer: Detectives Jerry Davenport or Rob Trostle
Station: Homicide Detail
Phone No. (909)387-3589
Case No. H# 1992-004, DR# 089200110
JOHN MCMAHON, Sheriff-Coroner
San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department
Address/Location
SBSD - Headquarters
655 E 3rd St
San Bernardino, CA 92408
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 909-387-3700
