SANTA CRUZ POLICE UNEARTH NEW EVIDENCE

Santa Cruz police arrested a third suspect this morning in connection with the shooting death last month of a poker player who was trying to recover $20 stolen from him.

Sgt. Brad Goodwin said the police used a warrant to search the home of 24-year-old Francisco Valenciano, and arrested him again after originally having to cut him loose for lack of evidence.

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``He was arrested with the others, but we weren't able to tie him to the murder right away,'' Goodwin said of Valenciano. ``We did so this morning with a search warrant.''

Already in custody in the July 25 shooting of 29-year-old Rudolfo Escobar, were Juan Soto, 21, and Anthony Gonzalez, 23. Police said the three men now in custody drove up to an address on Spruce Street in a green Honda at about 10 p.m. and robbed at gunpoint the men playing poker there.

When Escobar tried to get his $20 back, one of the men from the car allegedly shot him in the head with a single 16-gauge shotgun blast, killing him, Goodwin said.

Source: Chuck Carroll, Mercury News