November 8, 2021 – MARIPOSA — Today, District Attorney Walter Wall announced the arraignment of Miguel Alcazar Medina (52), of Modesto, California, who was indicted by a Mariposa County criminal grand 
jury, with murder, assault with a firearm, and conspiracy to cultivate more than six living cannabis (marijuana) plants, with special allegations regarding the use of a firearm and great body injury.
The defendant is alleged to conspired in the operation of a marijuana grow with approximately 200 marijuana plants in the Stumpfield Mountain Road area of Mariposa County. Alcazar Medina is also charged with having used a firearm at the marijuana grow to kill Abel Alvarez, originally from Mexico, who was working on the marijuana grow at the time of the murder on July 10, 2021. The defendant is currently in custody in Mariposa County on state murder charges arising from the incident. The defendant made his initial appearance in Mariposa Superior Court wherein he was arraigned and pled “not guilty” to all charges before Honorable Judge Michael A. Fagalde.
The prosecution is the result of an exceptional investigation by the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office and a criminal grand jury process, led by Assistant District Attorney Robert Iwama. The criminal grand jury returned the indictment under seal at the arraignment this morning.
“I want to thank District Attorney Walter Wall and his office for their commitment to the safety and security of the people of Mariposa County and his partnership and collaboration in this and many other cases involving allegations of violence in large marijuana grows in our county,” said Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese.
The maximum statutory penalty for murder is from 15 years to life in prison. The maximum statutory penalty for conspiracy to cultivate more than six marijuana plants is 3 years. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the California state sentencing law. An indictment contains only allegations against an individual and, as with all defendants, Alcazar - Medina must be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Source: Mariposa County District Attorney's Office
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