Suspect in deadly Fair Oaks stabbing skipped prison through mental health diversion, sheriff says
FAIR OAKS – Authorities are calling a man's death in Fair Oaks over the weekend "completely preventable" after they say the suspect skipped prison through mental health diversion six months ago.
The stabbing happened in the parking lot of Players Sports Pub and Grill near the corner of Fair Oaks Boulevard and Sunrise Boulevard on Sunday around 8 p.m.
Deputies said they located a 40-year-old man suffering from multiple stab wounds. The victim, identified as 40-year-old Carlos Romero of Roseville, died at the scene.
Deputies said 25-year-old Jordan Murray and several other people were involved in a fight with Romero. But the victim walked away and all parties separated.
Murray and another person involved in the fight encountered the Romero a short time later. This was when Murray pulled out a knife from his pocket and began swinging it, ultimately striking the Romero across the chest, deputies said.
Murray was located and arrested Monday morning.
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said Murray committed two robberies in 2024 in which he sprayed the victims in the face with an unknown caustic chemical. In the second robbery, deputies said he was caught trying to flee on an electric bike.
But in November, the courts granted Murray mental health diversion for both felonies related to the robberies.
"Only six months after his release from jail, Murray committed this completely preventable murder," the sheriff's office said in a statement.
Murray is expected to make his first court appearance on Thursday.
Sacramento Sheriff Jim Cooper said offenders have to obtain a diagnosis from a mental health counselor and not a doctor, saying it has become a loophole.
"The law was supposed to be a compassionate alternative for non-violent offenders," Cooper said in a post on X. "However, it's become a loophole for career criminals, serving as a 'get out of jail free' card."
Cooper said he testified three weeks ago in the Assembly Public Safety Committee for the law to be changed, but the bill was voted down.
"We need to fix this law before this happens again," Cooper said.
