On October 8, 2023, at approximately 10:45 p.m., deputies and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel responded to reports of a carjacking and possible shooting at an apartment complex on Miramar Avenue in unincorporated San Leandro. Upon arrival, they discovered 18-year-old Leandro Iquite suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. He was transported to a local hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Investigators determined that Iquite, a resident of Redwood City, had been lured to San Leandro by individuals he knew. Evidence revealed that as early as June 2023, 18-year-old Yefry Aguilar Rubio and his 17-year-old girlfriend had been discussing plans to harm Iquite. They, along with the girlfriend's 16-year-old brother, orchestrated a scheme to entice Iquite from Redwood City to San Leandro, where the fatal shooting occurred.
On December 13, 2023, with assistance from the Redwood City Police Department, search and arrest warrants were executed at the suspects' residences in Redwood City. Aguilar Rubio's girlfriend and her brother were apprehended at their home, where investigators recovered evidence linked to the homicide. Aguilar Rubio was already in custody in San Mateo County for an unrelated offense; he was subsequently arrested for Iquite's murder.
Further investigation, supported by the Fremont Police Department, led to a search of a residence in Fremont that the suspects had visited before and after the murder. Inside, authorities uncovered evidence of a substantial identity theft and fraud operation, including a stolen firearm. The occupants of the residence were arrested, and additional evidence was seized.
The Alameda County Sheriff's Office has submitted the case to the District Attorney's Office, recommending charges of conspiracy, carjacking, and homicide against the three primary suspects. Given the severity of the crime, the Sheriff's Office has also requested that all three individuals be prosecuted as adults, pursuant to Proposition 57 and Welfare and Institutions Code 707.
