SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. (TCN) — A 33-year-old man will spend time behind bars for fatally stabbing his sister’s former boyfriend before fleeing to Mexico for nearly two years.
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a Sept. 17 news release that Raymond Lynde received a sentence of 51 years to life. A jury previously convicted him in May of second-degree murder.
According to prosecutors, in July 2020, Lynde had recently been released from a 12-year prison sentence for a series of armed robberies in Orange County when he “ambushed” the victim, 23-year-old Ariel Burquez, outside an apartment complex and stabbed him 28 times. Burquez reportedly fell at his front door and later died from his injuries.
The district attorney’s office said Lynde fled to Mexico, where he was later arrested by Mexican authorities. In May 2022, members of a U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force apprehended him at the San Ysidro Port of Entry.
According to prosecutors, Lynde’s sister said during the trial that her relationship with the victim lasted about six months from 2018 to 2019. Following their relationship, Burquez allegedly “vandalized property belonging to Lynde’s sister and allegedly shot at her weeks prior to the murder.”
Lynde reportedly admitted that he stabbed the victim but said he acted in self-defense. The district attorney’s office said Lynde disposed of the weapon and hid bloody clothes before fleeing to Mexico.
In a statement, Stephan called it a “savage murder that was motivated by animosity and revenge,” adding, “I hope today’s sentence closes a chapter and brings a measure of justice for the family of Mr. Burquez. We’re grateful to our law enforcement colleagues in Mexico for their help in bringing the defendant back to San Diego to be held accountable for his vicious crime.”
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