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Son Convicted of Killing Parents for Inheritance
20 Oct
Summary
- Mark Andre Tomas Navarrete convicted of two first-degree murder counts.
- Victims were strangled and hit with an object in their garage.
- Navarrete sought inheritance and had faked investments.
A jury has found Mark Andre Tomas Navarrete, 46, guilty of murdering his parents in 2024. The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office announced the conviction on Friday for two counts of first-degree murder, including findings of multiple murders and commission for financial gain.
Prosecutors detailed that Navarrete killed his parents, 73-year-old Augusto Tacsuan Navarette and 70-year-old Marjorie Jane Tomas Navarette, inside their Elk Grove garage. He used an object to strike them before strangling them.
Navarrete's scheme included texting his deceased parents about dinner later that morning and using a scooter to avoid detection. He fled in his parents' vehicle, later returning to his scooter. His sister's concern led to the "discovery" of the bodies.
Automated license plate readers and traffic cameras helped investigators track Navarrete's movements. His DNA was found under his mother's fingernails. Court documents revealed resentment towards his parents for repaying debts he owed and a scheme involving fake investments.
At the time of the killings, Navarrete was poised to inherit half of his parents' estate. He is scheduled for sentencing on November 13 and faces a potential life sentence without parole.
