DES MOINES – The 31-year-old man that investigators believe is responsible for killing three people inside a Des Moines home late Tuesday night was a “twice-removed illegal alien” from Guatemala, Local 5 has confirmed.
Marvin Esquivel Lopez appeared in Polk County court on Thursday. Through an interpreter, he asked why he was being charged with three crimes when one was in self-defense.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Marvin Escobar-Orellana, also known as Marvin O. Esquivel Lopez, “was previously removed (deported) from the United States in 2010 and again in 2011. He has a prior federal conviction for illegal entry into the United States in 2010. He is not currently in ICE custody,” said Shawn Neudauer, ICE spokesman.
Esquivel Lopez is currently facing three first-degree murder charges in Polk County. On July 16, according to ICE, “deportation officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) filed an immigration detainer and administrative arrest warrant with the Polk County (Iowa) Jail on Marvin Oswaldo Escobar-Orellana.”
ICE says an alien who re-enters the U.S. after having been previously deported commits a felony, which — depending on an alien’s criminality — is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison, if convicted.
Esquivel-Lopez appeared in Polk County court on Thursday morning. His bond was set at $3 million.
