Texas Police Seize Man in O.C. Killing
The boyfriend of a San Clemente woman found stabbed to death inside her apartment was arrested in Texas where he was found sleeping in a canoe along the banks of the Rio Grande, police said Monday.
Robert Karl Russell, 40, was arrested on suspicion of weapons violations and will be questioned in the death of Cheryl L. Joyner, authorities said.
Police in Cameron County, Texas, said they found the victim’s car parked near the place where they arrested Russell. They said Joyner’s purse was inside the car.
About 10 hours before his arrest, Russell was confronted by Mexican authorities as he tried to cross the Rio Grande. Mexican and Texas police chased Russell as he floated along the river, cutting back and forth across the Mexican and U.S. sides, police said.
Police said Russell, armed with a .22-caliber rifle and eight rounds of ammunition, was eventually arrested in Texas about 1:30 p.m. Saturday, after he pulled the canoe into some bushes and fell asleep.
Joyner was found slain about 11 a.m. Saturday--her 43rd birthday--inside a bedroom in her apartment at the 100 block of East Avenida Ramona, said Orange County Sheriff’s Sgt. Steve Doan.
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