Pinoy murder suspect arrested at movie theater in California

MONTEBELLO, CA — After a month-long manhunt, a Filipino murder suspect is now behind bars.

Matthew Luzon Martin-Capiendowas was arrested Saturday night, as he was leaving a movie theater in Montebello.

Martin-Capiendo is wanted in connection for the May 29th murder of the kidnapping, robbery and beating death  20-year-old Julian Hamori-Andrade whom authorities claim was thrown off of a freeway.

Three other men had been arrested for their alleged role in the murder.

Martin-Capiendo is being held in prison without bail.

Matthew Luzon Martin-Capiendowas recognized as he exited the AMC Montebello 10 Theater in Montebello around 6:30 p.m. June 30, according to Deputy Joana Warren of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau.

Martin-Capiendo was booked at the Montebello Police Department jail and is being held without bail. He is expected in court today, Warren said.

Martin-Capiendo and three other suspects, who are also behind bars, are accused of kidnapping, robbing and beating a man, identified as 20-year-old Julian Hamori-Andrade May 29. The four suspects further beat him and dumped his body over the side of San Gabriel Canyon Road above Azusa.

The victim’s body was discovered by Sheriff’s deputies the next day, immediately followed by an announcement of the arrest of three suspects, Hercules Dimitrios Balaskas, a 19-year-old Glendora man, Francisco Amigon, a 19-year-old La Verne man, and Jacob Hunter Elmendorf, 19, also from La Verne.

The four men were charged May 31 with three counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances, first-degree residential robbery and kidnapping.

The suspects also face three special circumstances of lying in wait and murder during the kidnapping and robbery Hamori-Andrade, whose body was found dumped 30 feet over the side of Highway 39 Wednesday, May 30, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors accuse Balaskas of beating Hamori-Andrade with the metal chair. Martin-Capiendo allegedly further beat Hamori-Andrade with a rock and broke glass pipe once he was taken to the mountainside, deputies said.

The brutal killing began May 29 when deputies responding to a home in the 6100 block of Goodway Drive in the unincorporated area near Azusa for a disturbance call discovered a large blood trail leading from the unoccupied home to the street, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.