Murder suspect being brought back to Callaway County

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A murder suspect who was reportedly hiding out in Mexico before being arrested and jailed in Southern California is being brought to Callaway County for prosecution.

Callaway County Sheriff Clay Chism said Wednesday that deputies have Emily Ricketts of Indianapolis, Indiana, in their custody and are bringing her to Mid-Missouri. She was booked into the San Diego County Jail last week.

Ricketts was charged in January 2019 with accessory to first-degree murder in the death of Lauro Garza-Perez, who was found dead in the 1500 block of Highway 40 near the Boone-Callaway County line. Investigators are still looking for Ruben Corales Cabrera, whom they believe is in Mexico, Chism said last week.

Chism said last week that the shooting was part of a "significant drug nexus."

According to court documents, Ricketts was in the passenger seat of a dark grey Volkswagen Jetta with Garza-Perez. The two were being followed by Cabrera, who was driving a red Chevrolet Corvette on Old Highway 40, a Callaway County Sheriff’s Office investigator wrote in a probable cause statement.

Surveillance video showed that Cabrera got stuck in a ditch near the county line, then allegedly chased Garza-Perez into the Laser Transports parking lot and shot him repeatedly, court documents said.

Authorities say Ricketts then got into the driver seat of the Volkswagen, picked up Cabrera and drove him to get his car out of the ditch.

No court dates have been set in Ricketts' case.