The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Dept. and the San Diego Police Dept. arrested three men Monday in connection with the murder of a Goleta resident early Sunday morning.

Police discovered Elias Raymond Silva stabbed to death in his apartment at 15 Camino de Vida after residents reported finding a trail of blood leading into the apartment. Detectives later questioned Robert Galindo, one of the residents who initially contacted the police. Sheriff’s Dept. spokesman Sgt. Chris Pappas said in a press release that Galindo made inconsistent statements that implicated him in the crime. He was booked for murder and is currently being held at the county jail without bail.

Interviews of other witnesses led police to two additional suspects, 25-year-old Joshua Miracle of Santa Maria and 31-year-old Robert Ibarra of Goleta. Several residents of the apartment complex told police they saw Miracle and Ibarra in the area of the crime prior to the homicide.

Investigators obtained arrest warrants for both suspects and broadcast their information to other law enforcement agencies throughout the state, Pappas said. The information included a description of the vehicle detectives believed the suspects took at the time of the homicide.

At around 1 a.m. Monday, the Sheriff’s Dept. was contacted by the San Diego Police Dept. who made a traffic stop on the vehicle described in the broadcast. Both suspects were in the vehicle at the time and were arrested. The SD Police Dept. is currently holding Miracle and Ibarra without bail until they are taken to the SB County Jail.

At the time of the arrest, Ibarra had a wound on his left leg consistent with the blood evidence that was observed at the crime scene. Investigators believe he sustained the injury while assaulting Silva.

The Santa Barbara Police Dept. was also pursuing Miracle as a suspect in an attempted murder that took place last week in Santa Barbara.

Pappas said there are indications that the suspects are affiliated with a gang, and investigators believe Silva was involved in the drug trade.

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