Yolo criminal grand jury indicts two Pennsylvania men accused in 2021 Woodland murder
A Yolo County criminal grand jury has indicted two Pennsylvania men accused in 2021 Woodland homicide, which moves the murder case directly to trial.
Markeec Brunson and Donald Womack are accused of murder in the death of Enrique Loranca of Arbuckle. The 67-year-old Colusa County man was found dead in a motel room, and Brunson and Womack were arrested two years later in Philadelphia.
The criminal grand jury indicted Brunson, 48, of Norristown and Womack, 46, of Philadelphia, each on one count of murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder, the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday in a news release.
Prosecutors said the murder charge includes an enhancement alleging Loranca’s death was committed by the defendants in act of willful, deliberate and premeditated murder. Yolo Superior Court records show the criminal grand jury indicted Brunson and Womack on Monday.
The investigation into Loranca’s death began about 11 a.m. June 24, 2021, when officers received a call from the Quality Inn & Suites at 1562 East Main St. in Woodland. The caller reported housekeeping staff had entered one of the motel rooms to clean it and found a dead man.
The Yolo County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Loranca. Investigators determined Loranca’s death was the result of a homicide. The Woodland Police Department has not released details about how Loranca died.
Investigators later identified Brunson and Womack as suspects in the homicide and determined they were in Pennsylvania.
Woodland police detectives and Philadelphia Police Department officers arrested Brunson on Aug. 6 in Philadelphia. Police said Brunson was extradited Jan. 12 and returned to Yolo County with help from the U.S. Marshals Service.
Police said Womack was already in custody for an unrelated criminal charge in Pennsylvania when he was arrested in connection with the Woodland homicide. Womack was extradited and made his first court appearance on May 14 in Yolo County.
In California, criminal grand jury proceedings are held behind closed doors, and the prosecution present evidence and can call witnesses to testify without the defendants or their attorneys present. A criminal grand jury indictment means the case skips the preliminary hearing phase and moves straight to trial.
Brunson and Womack, who remain in custody at the Yolo County Jail, will return to court Monday morning for their arraignment hearing. Their trial has not yet been scheduled.
