Farm workers thinning nectarine trees several hundred yards from a murder scene said they heard nothing unusual on Wednesday. Fresno County homicide detectives have few clues about why someone would target Esquivel-Lucio. Deputies say he was the one usually reporting crime in his rural neighborhood.
According to friends, Esquivel-Lucio left work at about 11 a.m. to go home for lunch. Investigators say by noon he was shot to death. Right now, deputies have no idea who may have murdered the middle aged man who lived alone.
Neighbors said the victim, who many knew as "Poncho" always kept an eye out for thieves and others who didn't belong in the area. Investigators will not say whether Esquivel-Lucios home was burglarized yesterday or whether they recovered the murder weapon.
Investigators are talking to family members to try to retrace his steps in the days before the murder. If you have any information, you are asked to call the Fresno County Sheriff's Office.
