MERCED COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — A suspect has been arrested in connection with the investigation of a Hollister man’s body that was found in a Tesla in Merced County.
Authorities found Javier Becerril Jr.’s body in the trunk of the Tesla along Highway 152 on July 9.
The suspect, 39-year-old Manuel Adrian Salceda of Turlock, was arrested at a gas station in Woodland.
He’s accused of shooting and physically assaulting Becerril before putting the body in the trunk.
Officials believe there was planning that went into the crime and a personal motive. They added that Salceda had been using multiple identifications to avoid being found.
Salceda made his first court appearance on Tuesday.
Family members remembered Becerril as “a kind heart, a generous spirit, and always willing to help those he loved.”
Becerril was also a DoorDash driver in Hollister, and fellow drivers in the Hollister community laid flowers and candles at a makeshift memorial outside the Safeway grocery store where he routinely picked up deliveries.
