'Young boy needlessly died': District attorney speaks out on Paso Robles murder case

The investigation continues into the death of a 6-year-old boy in Paso Robles over the weekend. San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow says the suspect is an undocumented migrant.

"I'm angry," Dow said. "I'm angry that this young boy needlessly died."

In a tweet Wednesday, he cited SB 54, or the "California Values Act," as the reason suspect Briant Reyes-Estrada was allowed to be released from jail following an unrelated crime last month.

"Had Mr. [Reyes-Estrada] been detained properly by the immigration officials, because of that order given by ICE, very likely this young boy would not have seen the situation that led to his death last Saturday," Dow said.

SB 54 is designed to ensure that no state or local resources are used to assist federal immigration enforcement, or ICE.

"This is an example of the complete failure of SB 54 in the state of California," said SLO County Sheriff Ian Parkinson in a statement. "SB 54 prohibits California sheriffs from turning over somebody to ICE on a detainer. We also cannot speak with ICE unless the arrestee has a conviction for a qualifying offense. The prior arrest for this individual was for a property crime where he was taken to county jail and later was legally eligible to make bail and was released from custody."

Paso Robles Inn declined to comment on whether it knew of Reyes-Estrada's undocumented status.

Paso Robles Police say this new development will not impact their investigation, a sentiment DA Dow shared.

"Our office doesn't have any authority over immigration violations," Dow said. "And so, we're going to continue to go forward. We have an open investigation; we're still looking for information from members of the public who might have more information."

KSBY also reached out to ICE and Governor Gavin Newsom’s office and has not heard back.