Hollister police arrest suspect for 2002 murder

Hollister police say they’ve solved a murder case gone cold.

On December 16, 2016, police arrested a former Hollister resident, Juan Manuel Gonzales, 35, for the 2002 murder of Jesus Sandoval.

Sandoval died from injuries suffered during an apparently random, unprovoked assault in September 8, 2002. Witnesses told police that Sandoval was washing his car when he was attacked and beaten by a passerby.

At the time, Hollister Police circulated a suspect sketch, which was posted for years on the police department website’s “Most Wanted” section. No leads were developed.

In the fall of 2016, detectives re-opened the cold case, using research techniques that were unavailable in 2002. Interviews led detectives to Gonzales, who was interviewed, arrested on murder charges and booked into San Benito County Jail. His bail is set at $1,000,000.

Hollister police say the Algona Police Department in Washington State assisted with the investigation.