Exeter man who buried his wife alive denied parole

An Exeter man who stabbed his and buried her alive in their backyard was denied parole for the next five years.

At a virtual hearing on August 2, 2022, TCDA prosecutors secured a 5-year denial of parole for Cesar Navarro, age 44, for the 1998 murder of his wife. Also in attendance were victim advocates and the victim’s family. Navarro is currently serving his sentence at the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo.

On December 16, 1998, in the city of Exeter, Navarro stabbed his 20-year-old wife multiple times in the head and neck with a screwdriver. Knowing that his wife was still alive after the attack, he buried her in the backyard of their home. Her body was found two weeks later after family members filed a missing person report and had been searching for her. At his initial parole hearing in 2014, Navarro said he committed the crime due to perceived infidelity. The victim’s family said that she would often talk about Navarro’s violence with her.

In 2000, a jury convicted Navarro of the murder and was sentenced to life in prison. Navarro was convicted of domestic violence against the victim a few months prior to the murder.

This was Navarro’s second official parole hearing. In 2019, Navarro stipulated a three-year denial without a hearing. A senior deputy district attorney argued against his release in this case.

Career criminal gets reduced sentence despite DA objections

A local judge granted re-sentencing for Hector Salazar, age 39, for the 2013 home invasion of a Ducor residence.

On May 29, 2013, Salazar and two men entered the home of a Ducor man. Upon entering, they pummeled the victim and restrained his arms, legs, and vision with duct tape. The victim later advised law enforcement that he felt an alleged gun pressed to his head while the men demanded money. After about 40 minutes, the victim, thinking the men had left after rummaging the home, freed himself to assess what was taken. 

The men, however, were still present. Now covered with a blanket, the victim again felt what he believed was a gun to his head. After a few more minutes, the men left in the victim’s truck. Salazar pleaded to first-degree robbery with the special enhancement that he possessed a prior serious or violent felony.