1993 murder suspect
By Rod Thompson
back on Big Island
Star-BulletinHILO -- Damien Serrano, wanted since 1995 for the murder of a teen-age Big Island girl, was to be arraigned today in Circuit Court after being returned to the island last night, Prosecutor Jay Kimura said.
"I think it's a great thing. I'm glad we finally got the guy," said Brad Simone, uncle of the victim, Sequoya Vargas. "He is the main perpetrator."
Charged with murder, kidnapping and two counts of sexual assault in the 1993 death of Vargas, Serrano surrendered to federal authorities in Guadalajara, Mexico, Kimura said.
The FBI had been seeking Serrano for some time and was able to locate him in Mexico through contact with his family members in California, he said.
Serrano, 28, also known as Richard Damian Serrano, was arrested on an unauthorized flight to avoid prosecution warrant.
"In a certain sense, maybe justice is finally going to be done," Simone said. "Until he's (permanently) locked up, there's not going to be much closure."
Vargas disappeared in late August 1993. Her body was never found.
Police classified the case as a missing person, to the dissatisfaction of Simone and other family members who conducted their own investigation.
After about a month, they convinced police to reclassify the case as homicide. Two men involved, Matthew Gibbs and Serrano's cousin Jason McCubbins, later cooperated with police.
According to police, court and other accounts, Serrano gave Vargas a ride to McCubbins' Puna District home, where the three of them plus Gibbs drank heavily.
Vargas allegedly passed out, then woke up to find Serrano raping her. Vargas screamed and McCubbins allegedly beat her unconscious to make her be quiet.
Serrano and McCubbins allegedly drove Vargas to a sea cliff and dumped her over it.
But she landed on rocks below, still alive, and Serrano allegedly went down the cliff and raped her again.
Her body was believed to have been washed out to sea. A coastal search, which included a helicopter, found no trace of her.
