Man Sentenced to Life for Murdering Parents for Inheritance

Navarrete had grown resentful of his parents, who began paying back family members for his debts, prompting him to want their money for himself. A jury found Navarrete guilty of killing his parents for financial gain and convicted him of two counts of first-degree murder (1). [1]

Prosecutors stated that Navarrete used a scooter to reach his parents’ house, avoiding detection from a Ring camera at the front door. In their garage, Navarrete struck both his mother and father on the head and then strangled them. He drove away in his parents’ car, parked it near where he had parked, and left in his own car (1). [1]

Later that morning, after his parents were already dead, Navarrete texted them, asking if they wanted to come over for dinner, according to prosecutors. His sister became worried when she could not reach her parents. Detectives with Elk Grove police found the scooter he had used in his garage, and DNA analysis revealed his DNA under his mother’s fingernails (1). [1]

Mark Andre Tomas Navarrete, 46, was sentenced to life in prison by Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Bowman after being found guilty of first-degree murder for killing his parents, Augusto Tacsuan Navarrete and Marjorie Jane Tomas Navarrete, in June 2024. According to evidence presented in court, Navarrete had grown resentful of his parents, who began paying back family members for his debts, prompting him to want their money for himself (1). Prosecutors stated that Navarrete used a scooter to reach his parents’ house, avoiding detection from a Ring camera at the front door. Later that morning, after his parents were already dead, Navarrete texted them, asking if they wanted to come over for dinner, according to prosecutors (1). [1]

Navarrete had been scamming his friends and family with fake investments, according to Elk Grove Police Department detectives, promising them repayment and exorbitant interest rates. When his parents began to pay back family members for his debts, he decided he wanted their money for himself (1). A jury last month found Navarrete guilty of killing his parents for financial gain and convicted him of two counts of first-degree murder. His father, Augusto Tacsuan Navarrete, was 73, and his mother, Marjorie Jane Tomas Navarrete, was 70. At the time, he stood to inherit half of their estate, the Sacramento County district attorney’s office said (1). [1]

In June 2024, their son drove from his Elk Grove home to his parents’ neighborhood and parked a few blocks from their house, prosecutors said. He donned a mask and gloves and sped the rest of the way to his parents’ home on a scooter. He used the side gate to reach his parents’ backyard door, skirting detection from a Ring camera at the front door, prosecutors said (1). In their garage, prosecutors said, Navarrete struck both his mother and father on the head and then strangled them. He drove away in his parents’ car, parked it near where he had parked, and left in his own car (1). [1]

Mark Andre Tomas Navarrete, 46, was sentenced to life in prison by Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Bowman after being found guilty of first-degree murder for killing his parents, Augusto Tacsuan Navarrete and Marjorie Jane Tomas Navarrete, in June 2024 (Evidence ID: 1). Navarrete had grown resentful of his parents, who began paying back family members for his debts, prompting him to want their money for himself (Evidence ID: 1). A jury last month found Navarrete guilty of killing his parents for financial gain and convicted him of two counts of first-degree murder (Evidence ID: 1). [1]

In June 2024, their son drove from his Elk Grove home to his parents’ neighborhood and parked a few blocks from their house, prosecutors said (Evidence ID: 1). He donned a mask and gloves and sped the rest of the way to his parents’ home on a scooter. He used the side gate to reach his parents’ backyard door, skirting detection from a Ring camera at the front door, prosecutors said (Evidence ID: 1). In their garage, prosecutors said, Navarrete struck both his mother and father on the head and then strangled them (Evidence ID: 1). [1]

Detectives with Elk Grove police found the scooter he had used in his garage, and DNA analysis revealed his DNA under his mother’s fingernails, prosecutors said (Evidence ID: 1). To solve the case, prosecutors said the Elk Grove Police Department used Flock cameras and other traffic surveillance footage that captured Navarrete’s movements (Evidence ID: 1). His sister became worried when she could not reach her parents. Prosecutors said he visited them with his children and pretended to discover them deceased (Evidence ID: 1). [1]

Sources

LA Times: Los Angeles

Prepared with AI assistance from the cited sources.