Salgado pleads not guilty to Guevara murder

A Fort Wayne, Ind., man pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges connected with the Nov. 10 murder of a Mitchell girl, according to the Hanson County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Alexander Salgado, 20, entered the plea on first-degree murder, felony murder and first-degree arson charges.

Salgado will stand trial on May 10. A brief arraignment hearing took place Wednesday morning at the Davison County Public Safety Center.

Salgado, who moved to Mitchell about a month ago, is accused of killing Jasmine Guevara, 16, by stabbing her, cutting her throat and setting her car on fire with her body inside it near James River Road, southeast of Mitchell.

The first-degree murder charge alleges that Salgado killed Guevara with premeditation, according to the indictment. The felony murder charge claims that Salgado killed Guevara while committing arson.

A preliminary hearing had been scheduled for Wednesday morning, but was canceled after a grand jury indicted Salgado Tuesday.

“I canceled the preliminary hearing, but not the court date,” said Jim Davies, Hanson County state’s attorney. “We were in a position to give the indictment to his attorney (Mike Fink) after 5.”

A 15-year-old girl, known only as M.D., also has been implicated in the case. Court documents indicate she was jealous of a suspected relationship between Salgado and Guevara.

Guevara had been reported missing on Nov. 11 until Salgado and the girl were arrested on Nov. 12. Remains found in the car were identified last week as Guevara’s.

Davies said he awaits final reports from investigators on the case before he and Assistant Attorney General Doug Barnett will make a decision on whether to seek to have M.D. face charges as an adult.

As to whether the kidnapping allegations made by the girl’s mother in Indiana will a play a factor in that decision, Davies said: “I’m not going to think about that until I start to get everything in a package.”

If the evidence shows that she should be tried as an adult, Davies said he will request a hearing before a judge to transfer the case to adult court. That hearing would occur in juvenile court.

Tags: courts and crimes, alexander salgado, jasmine guevara, news, local, crime