YUMA, AZ - Manuel Bustamante, a suspect in the brutal murder of 33-year-old Kendall Smith is behind bars.
Bustamante was wanted by the Yuma County Sheriff's Office since April for allegedly beating Smith with a baseball bat on April 18th.
Smith later died at the hospital due to his injuries.
Capt. Bratcher with the Yuma County Sheriff's office says "We transported him here late Friday night and then booked him in on multiple charges stemming from the homicide and he's been seen in court as early as today."
In superior court, 30-year-old Bustamante was appointed a public defender for all future hearings.
He currently has 7 felony charges pending against him. His charges include 2 counts of pre-meditated first degree murder, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and conspiracy to sale narcotics.
With Bustamante now behind bars, YCSO tells News 13 where they currently stand with the investigation.
Bustamante says, '"We still continue to interview people who have any knowledge concerning the case. There are 2 people that we still want to talk to that we have not successfully located yet, but we are satisfied we have most of those if not all of those who were involved in the initial assault."
Bustamante's Bond has been set at $1 Million. He will be seen again in court later this month.
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