- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On
UPDATE: Man charged with Seagrave murder has lengthy criminal history
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A Kelseyville man charged with the January murder of a convenience store employee has a long history of violent crimes, including a previous bank robbery conviction.
Jonathan Antonio Mota, 31, is being charged for the Jan. 18 death of 33-year-old Forrest Seagrave, the US Attorney’s Office and the Lake County Sheriff's Office said Friday.
Mota is facing four counts, including use or possession of a firearm in a murder, use or possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, robbery affecting interstate commerce and felon in possession of a firearm, according to the federal indictment filed against him Thursday.
If convicted, Mota could face life imprisonment, federal officials reported.
Mota is alleged to have shot Seagrave during a late-night armed robbery at the Mount Konocti Gas and Mart in Kelseyville, where Seagrave had worked for several years. Seagrave died a short time later at Sutter Lakeside Hospital.
The suspect in the robbery and shooting was masked, and wearing a dark hoodie and dark clothing. After the shooting, the suspect fled the scene on foot, leading to a massive investigation.
Sheriff’s officials said Mota was positively identified as the suspect after detectives reviewed hundreds of hours of surveillance videos, took numerous witness statements and served multiple search warrants and subpoenas which were written cooperatively between the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, United States Attorney’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Mota has an extensive and violent criminal history.
In January 2008, Mota was sentenced to six years in prison and ordered to pay restitution after pleading guilty to robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of a firearm for the Dec. 8, 2006, armed robbery at Bank of the West in Clearlake.
On Dec. 30, 2006, shortly after an arrest warrant was issued for him in connection to the bank robbery, Mota showed up with a gun at the Elem Colony in Clearlake Oaks where his sister lived – a tribal official said Mota was not himself a tribal member – and barricaded himself inside a home.
Later that night, Mota surrendered to a sheriff's SWAT team, as Lake County News has reported.
More recently, Mota was arrested on felony parole violations on June 21, 2012, and again on Aug. 24, 2012; on Sept. 6, 2012, for felony carrying a concealed dirk or dagger and a felony parole violation; on Oct. 27, 2012, for misdemeanor battery and a felony parole violation, according to county arrest records.
Putting the pieces together
The Seagrave murder case has taken months to piece together, with Mota in custody on separate charges since shortly after the murder.
Mota was arrested on Jan. 26 for a felony parole violation and a misdemeanor charge of use or being under the influence of a controlled substance, according to jail records.
Then, on Feb. 12, while still in custody, Mota was arrested again, this time on a federal felony detainer, as well as felony charges of possession of an assault weapon and a parole violation.
On Feb. 21, Mota was indicted on a federal charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, which carries with it a maximum prison term of 10 years, three years of supervised probation and up to $250,000 in fines.
The indictment revealed that at the time of his January arrest, Mota allegedly had in his possession a Zastava 7.62 millimeter assault rifle with a large capacity magazine and ammunition.
Mota remained in the Lake County Jail until April, when he was transferred to federal custody, the sheriff’s office reported.
Mota is being held in an Alameda County Sheriff's Office jail facility in Oakland, where he was booked on April 18, according to jail records.
Authorities also searched for a dark-colored full-sized pickup seen in downtown Kelseyville the night of the shooting.
On April 30, the pickup in question – a stolen 2008 Toyota Tacoma pickup – was found down an embankment off the Hopland Grade.
Officials have not yet said what part the pickup played in the murder case.
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