Lennox Man Held in Stabbing Death

Redlands police on Monday announced the arrest of a Lennox man on suspicion of murdering a Mexican national whose body was found buried in an orange grove this month.

Emilio Norez Aguirre, 46, is suspected of stabbing to death Sergio Gonzalez Cano, 33, said police spokesman Carl Baker.

Cano’s body had been partially buried for about two weeks before a grove worker’s grandchildren discovered the body Nov. 3, Baker said.

Cano carried no identification, and detectives spent weeks trying to identify his body.

Cano was undocumented and used various aliases and birth dates while traveling and working throughout the western United States, officials said.

Aguirre and Cano had known each other for several years and often worked construction jobs together, police said. Cano had been staying with Aguirre since mid-September.

Police allege that in follow-up interviews with Redlands police and a bilingual polygraph expert from the San Bernardino County sheriff’s office, Aguirre admitted killing Cano during a fight in the L.A. area, taking his body to Redlands and burying him in the orange grove.

Police are seeking the public’s assistance in finding a possible witness, 43-year-old Rafael Rodriguez, who frequents the San Bernardino and Los Angeles areas.

Aguirre is being held at the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact detectives Travis Martinez, Chris Catren or Sgt. Rogelio Garcia at (909) 798-7681.