Note: The following text is a quote:
November 20, 2009
http://sandiego.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel09/sd112009.htm
Defendant Pleads Guilty to Murder Charge for the Death of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol Agent Robert W. Rosas, Jr.
SAN DIEGO, CA—United States Attorney Karen P. Hewitt announced the filing of an information and the guilty plea today of an individual involved in the death of Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol Agent Robert W. Rosas, Jr. Agent Rosas was shot and killed on July 23, 2009, while he was on a routine patrol near San Diego, Calif. The information charges the defendant with the murder of a federal officer committed in perpetration of a robbery.
According to the plea agreement, Christian Daniel Castro-Alvarez, age 17, admitted that during the evening of July 23, 2009, he illegally entered the United States for the purpose of robbing a Border Patrol agent of government property. While Agent Rosas was engaged in the performance of his duties, Castro-Alvarez and his co-conspirators lured Agent Rosas out of his vehicle for the purpose of robbing him. During the course of the robbery, Agent Rosas and the defendant struggled over a firearm and Agent Rosas was shot multiple times by the defendant and one or more of the co-conspirators. Agent Rosas died as a result of the shots fired by one or more of the co-conspirators.
The defendant appeared before the Honorable M. James Lorenz, United States District Court Judge, this morning for a motion to transfer proceedings against a juvenile to adult criminal prosecution. He was later arraigned on the information and entered a guilty plea. According to documents submitted in district court in connection with the hearing today, the defendant was a minor at the time the offense was committed and he voluntarily surrendered to the United States to face criminal charges.
“Border Patrol Agent Robert Rosas was killed in the line of duty bravely protecting our border. Our nation owes him and his family a great debt of gratitude for his ultimate sacrifice in service of our country. Today’s guilty plea is an important step in seeking justice on behalf of Agent Rosas,” said United States Attorney Hewitt.
United States Attorney Hewitt also noted that, “since July 23, 2009, when this tragic incident occurred, federal agents and prosecutors together spent countless hours focused on this investigation. Our work on this case is not yet done, but I want to extend my deep appreciation to all of them for what they have achieved thus far and for their shared commitment to justice. The agents of the FBI San Diego Field Division deserve special thanks for their swift, professional, and comprehensive action in investigating Agent Rosas’ death.”
San Diego FBI Special Agent in Charge Keith Slotter commented, “While the investigation is ongoing, today’s plea marks a significant day in this case. The night Agent Rosas was killed we all lost a brave officer whose mission was to defend our country from threats both domestic and abroad. We recognize the ultimate sacrifice Agent Rosas paid protecting this country. I am proud of the hard work our agents and the U.S. Attorney’s Office have put into bringing this individual to justice.”
The defendant is scheduled to appear next on Feb. 19, 2010, at 10:30 a.m., before Judge Lorenz for sentencing.
The investigation was assisted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection U.S. Border Patrol, and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. The case is being prosecuted in San Diego federal court by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Pettit and Seth Askins.
April 29, 2010
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://sandiego.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel10/sd042910.htm
Defendant Sentenced to Prison for Murder of Border Patrol Agent
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol Agent Robert W. Rosas, Jr. was Killed While on Routine Duty on the U.S. - Mexico Border in July 2009
SAN DIEGO—Christian Daniel Castro-Alvarez, 17, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge M. James Lorenz to serve 480 months in federal prison based on his guilty plea in the death of Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol Agent Robert W. Rosas, Jr., U.S. Attorney Karen P. Hewitt for the Southern District of California announced today. Agent Rosas was shot and killed on July 23, 2009, while he was on a routine patrol near San Diego. The defendant previously pleaded guilty to the murder of a federal officer committed in perpetration of a robbery.
U.S. Attorney Hewitt said, “Agent Rosas was tragically murdered in the line of duty as he protected the border and our nation. His proud career as a federal law enforcement officer stood for seeking justice and upholding the rule of law. Because of today’s sentence of imprisonment, the next 40 years the defendant serves in prison shall also echo those important principles—justice and the rule of law—for which Agent Rosas paid the ultimate sacrifice.”
According to the plea agreement, Castro-Alvarez admitted that during the evening of July 23, 2009, he illegally entered the United States for the purpose of robbing a Border Patrol agent of government property. While Agent Rosas was engaged in the performance of his duties, Castro-Alvarez and his co-conspirators lured Agent Rosas out of his vehicle for the purpose of robbing him. During the course of the robbery, Agent Rosas and the defendant struggled over a firearm and Agent Rosas was shot multiple times by the defendant and one or more of the co-conspirators. Agent Rosas died as a result of the shots fired. According to court documents, Castro-Alvarez was a minor at the time the offense was committed, and he voluntarily surrendered to the United States to face criminal charges. The defendant also agreed to transfer proceedings from juvenile disposition to adult criminal prosecution.
“This brutal act of violence on a U.S. Border Patrol agent cannot and will not be tolerated,” Acting Chief Patrol Agent Richard A. Barlow of the U.S. Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector said. “Although Mr. Castro-Alvarez has well earned this long custodial sentence, his punishment will never repay the debt he owes to those he has affected and who grieve the murder of Agent Rosas.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Keith Slotter commented, “Agent Rosas was a brave man who gave his life defending our nation’s borders. Without thoughtful investigative work and cooperation of law enforcement agencies on both sides of the border, today’s sentencing would not have come. Though the death of Agent Rosas was tragic, I am pleased to see this individual brought to justice.”
The investigation was conducted by the FBI. U.S. Attorney Hewitt noted that the agents of the FBI San Diego Field Division deserve special thanks for their swift, professional, and comprehensive action in investigating Agent Rosas’ death. The investigation was assisted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection - U.S. Border Patrol, and the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. The case was prosecuted in San Diego federal court by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Pettit and Seth Askins.