Ex-beau of Fallon murder victim dead

FALLON - A man wanted for questioning in the slaying of a Fallon mother was found dead early Thursday morning in a remote part of Mineral County.

Julian "Wayne" Oceguera's body was found about three-tenths of a mile off State Route 360 on the Nevada side of Montgomery Pass.

Fallon Police Chief Russ Brooks said a rifle and shell casing found near Oceguera's corpse will be compared to a shell casing discovered near the body of Donna Petro.

Petro, 43, was shot in the head with a .22-caliber weapon. She was found dead in the garage of her Sunset Drive home late Sunday night by her 18-year-old daughter Amy.

Police had been searching for Oceguera, 53, as a "person of interest" since the killing. He and Petro had a relationship for eight or nine years but separated in June.

A former Fallon police officer helped lead authorities to Oceguera's body.

Joel Fairfield was driving to Fallon on Wednesday from Fort Irwin near Barstow, Calif., where he serves with the Army National Guard. He was a police officer for 12 years, leaving the Fallon Police Department in 2002.

Fairfield saw a story in the Lahontan Valley News about Petro's murder and the search for Oceguera.

The description of Oceguera's 2000 Chevrolet sounded familiar.

"One of the deals on a long drive is you take in everything you see. That was one of about a dozen cars I saw on the side of the road, and I guess I filed it away in my brain," Fairfield said Thursday.

He called Fallon police to report seeing the abandoned vehicle. Officers asked the Mineral County Sheriff's Office and the Nevada Highway Patrol to check out the car, which was a match.

Those agencies stayed with the vehicle while Fallon officers drove through a snowstorm. Brooks said Oceguera's body was found a short distance from the car.

An autopsy was conducted Thursday to determine the exact cause of death. Results are not yet available. The Washoe County Crime Lab is processing the Chevrolet for evidence.

Authorities are trying to find people who normally drive along State Route 360 to pinpoint how long the car had been parked off the side.

Petro, 43, told police Oceguera slapped her and threaten to shoot her one week before she was killed. Petro obtained an extended protection order against him two days after the threats.

Pamela Robert, Petro's cousin who lives in San Jose, Calif., said Petro was frightened after Oceguera hit her because he had never been violent before.

"Donna couldn't believe he was doing that. Once he hit her, she was just scared," Robert said. "Nobody ever thought he would do what he did."

Robert said her cousin was devoted to her family, especially her two daughters and a grandson. Petro worked for the U.S. Post Office and was a familiar face at the Pony Express office on Allen Road.

Oceguera is the father of Assemblyman John Oceguera, D-Las Vegas, who also works as a North Las Vegas firefighter.

"I haven't talked to him in 15 years," John Oceguera said. "All I know is what I saw on the news."

Marlene Garcia can be contacted at mgarcia@lahontanvalleynews.com.