Updated: Man Arrested in Arizona in Connection with '09 Murder

With the help of the Arizona Police Department, San Rafael detectives located and arrested a suspect on Wednesday in connection with the murder of a local man in November 2009.

On Nov. 30, 2009, 22-year-old Donald Espinoza-Ordonez was shot and killed outside his apartment on 100 Larkspur St. at 9:05 p.m.

San Rafael Detectives Blair Auld and Scott Eberle’s investigation showed that Michael Powell, Jr., a 19-year-old resident of Richmond, got into a fight earlier that day at the same location. Powell left San Rafael after the fight and returned later with 20-year-old Nickie Donald, Jr., according to the San Rafael police spokeswoman Margo Rohrbacher.

Powell fired multiple shots at Ordonez, who was moving into the apartment complex.  The detectives believe Ordonez was mistaken for the man Powell fought with earlier that day.

San Rafael detectives learned that Powell moved to Glendale, and, joined by the Arizona Police Department, arrested Powell without incident at his home at 2 p.m. 

Donald is also in custody in Contra Costa County, but on a murder charge that took place in Richmond in June 2010. Another murder charge for Ordonez will be added, according to Rohrbacher.

Ordonez was the only homicide in San Rafael in 2009. There were three homicides reported in 2010.

"We're very happy we found the people responsible for this murder," Rohrbacher said. "We don't forget any of our homicides."