Murder suspect found dead

Although a homicide suspect is dead by his own hands, the investigation into the incident that took the life of a local woman is going full speed ahead.

The reported suicide of Bobby Joe Suggs, 29, of Porterville, Thursday is believed by Porterville police to have stemmed from the killing of SuggsÂ’ girlfriend, Amber Nicole Zavala, 23, of Porterville.

At about 5 p.m. Wednesday, the Porterville Police Department received information — through calls into dispatch — that someone had possibly been killed.

The investigation into the information led officers to an apartment in the 300 block of North Capitola Court, where they found Zavala dead.

Efforts by police Thursday to capture Suggs led authorities to seal off an area near Granite Hills High School.

During the morning standoff, several residents from a neighborhood directly west of the suspectÂ’s vehicle used binoculars to watch events unfold.

One of the residents, Paul Estrada, said he knew it was Suggs inside the vehicle and that he has known the suspect casually for about four years.

"HeÂ’s a normal guy," Estrada said. "I mean he goes to bars, gets drunk and gets into a bar fight once and a while, but heÂ’s not a bad guy."

Estrada said he had heard that Suggs was upset because his relationship with Zavala had ended.

"I heard that they were broken up," Estrada said. "I feel bad for the girl, but I feel bad for him, too. I feel really sorry for his son."

Although the cause and official time of ZavalaÂ’s death had not been determined Thursday because an autopsy was peneding, Lt. Chris Dempsie said Zavala had signs of trauma consistent with strangulation. He added no weapons are believed to have been used in WednesdayÂ’s homicide.

Information from witnesses led detectives to believe Suggs killed Zavala, Dempsie said.

Porterville Police Chief Chuck McMillan said as detectives searched for Suggs Wednesday evening, they learned his mother — Patsy Suggs, 47, of Porterville, and his brother, Jesse Suggs, 32, of Porterville — had allegedly known Zavala had been killed, but did not tell anyone and allegedly helped Bobby Suggs "try to evade apprehension Wednesday evening."

McMillan said SuggsÂ’ mother and brother were arrested on suspicion of being accessories to homicide after the fact and were booked into the Tulare County Jail.

A jail official reported Thursday that SuggsÂ’ mother was in custody on a $10,000 bail.

Information on SuggsÂ’ brotherÂ’s custody and bail status was not available Thursday afternoon.

At about 8 a.m. Thursday, officers set up a perimeter around an orange grove located north of Granite Hills High School.

The perimeter was set up after police learned — through several people including friends calling into dispatch — that Suggs was in a vehicle, armed with a handgun, and was threatening to kill himself, Dempsie said.

Granite Hills High School was notified and was "quickly locked down," police said.

Porterville police were assisted by the Kern County Sheriff’s Department — which provided air support with a helicopter — and the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department.

At the scene, Dempsie said repeated attempts were made to contact Suggs on his cell phone and with a loudspeaker.

Also, "distractionary devices" were used, including those that broke out the windows of SuggsÂ’ vehicle, during attempts to get Suggs to communicate with police.

At about 11:15 a.m. Thursday, Dempsie said members of the Porterville Police SWAT Team approached SuggsÂ’ vehicle and found him dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest.

Dempsie said the handgun believed to have been used in the suicide was found at the scene.

Although it was not clear what time Suggs killed himself, Dempsie said friends reported last talking to him at about 8 a.m.

Dempsie said police tried to call Suggs on his cell phone many times beginning not long after the homicide was discovered.

As of Thursday, Dempsie said it was unclear why Suggs killed Zavala.

McMillan said there is a lot of information and evidence and an investigation needs to be done.

"We will still make a case against the suspectÂ’s mother and brother for their part in assisting him and that part will go to the [District AttorneyÂ’s] Office for review."

Dempsie said the Police DepartmentÂ’s condolences go out to both ZavalaÂ’s and SuggsÂ’ families.

"ItÂ’s a tragedy for both sides," Dempsie said.

Suggs was arrested in October 2006 and booked on felony assault charges in an unrelated case, according to court records. He eventually pleaded to a lessor charge and was sentenced to 90 days in county jail.

WednesdayÂ’s killing is the cityÂ’s seventh suspected homicide of 2007.

The body of Clenon Ian Williams, 21, was found by passers-by on Aug. 2 in Porter Slough near the intersection of F Street and Oak Avenue. Then, on Aug. 27, Juan Manuel Castellanos-Alvarado, 35, of Porterville, was gunned down during an afternoon shooting witnessed by dozens of people in front of Sunshine Market on South Main Street.

Samuel Hart, 38, of Porterville, is suspected of stabbing Ruben Martinez, 23, of Porterville, to death on Sept. 6 while the two men were allegedly fighting.

A man suspected of killing a young couple Sept. 16 outside of Sunrise Handy Mart remains at large.

Armando Ramon Ojedo, 31, of Porterville, is suspected of shooting Ignacio Ayala, 20, and Margarita Alexandra Ortiz, 19. Both died, becoming the cityÂ’s fourth and fifth homicide victims of the year and rounding out a month that saw three suspected homicides.

Police found Xavier Taylor, 19, of Porterville, in the driverÂ’s seat of a car at about 10:25 p.m. Oct. 5 in the area of Olive Avenue and G Street suffering a single gunshot wound.

Taylor died the next day after being transferred to a Fresno-area hospital.

Editor Glen Faison contributed to this report.