Mail Tribune News - Fernandez indicted in homicide

Mail Tribune (Medford, OR — Wayback)

2000-09-14

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Fernandez indicted in homicide By Chris Bristol of the Mail Tribune Under a veil of secrecy, a Prospect man who led police to his cousin's body near Lost Creek Lake has been indicted on charges of murder and kidnapping. A Jackson County grand jury Thursday accused Mark Curtis Fernandez of abducting and killing 20-year-old Jaime Fernandez, who was last seen alive by family members a week ago today at his Eagle Point home. Despite the latest development, authorities remain tight-lipped about the case. Mark Fernandez, 26, remains jailed on a no-bail detainer pending arraignment. Family members said they called the police Saturday after they found two puddles of blood outside the Crystal Drive home where Jaime lived with his parents. They said Jaime, who was still recuperating from a near - fatal car accident last year, had not come home Friday night. Sheriff's detectives later identified Mark Fernandez, a seasonal firefighter who worked for the Oregon Department of Forestry, as the last person who saw or spoke to his cousin. They arrested him Sunday at the state forestry office in Central Point, after he learned he was wanted for further questioning and allegedly about his whereabouts. After the arrest, deputies said Fernandez recounted an unspecified "incident" between him and his cousin, and then led them to the body at a remote location near Lost Creek Lake. Little more about the case has emerged since then, such as motive and method. Several court records connected to the case, including search warrants and the arrest affidavit, have been sealed by prosecutors. Deputy District Attorney Judi Harper, who presented the state's case to the grand jury Thursday, said bar-press guidelines prohibited her from discussing specifics. She said the DA's office might issue a press release today, or maybe Monday.  Although the motive remains unclear, other court records involving Mark Fernandez may shed some light. In June, an 18-year-old woman who described Fernandez as her "ex stepbrother" filed for a restraining order, accusing Fernandez of stalking her at home and at work. In an affidavit, she claimed Fernandez harassed her by making "vulgar comments and vulgar phone calls," and said he was "verbally abusive to my brother and sister and me." "Obviously he is strung out on some kind of drug," she explained on the form. A judge approved the request. In August, Fernandez was convicted of telephonic harassment involving the woman. He was placed on 18 months bench probation and fined $200 in court costs. Mail Tribune Copyright �  The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA