Elk Grove man convicted of murdering parents for inheritance

A jury has convicted 46-year-old Mark Andre Tomas Navarrete of two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of his parents, Augusto Tacsuan Navarette and Marjorie Jane Tomas Navarette.

Prosecutors from the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office stated the murders were committed for financial gain to secure an inheritance. The incident occurred on June 28, 2024, at a residence on Crosscourt Way in Elk Grove. Investigators determined that Navarrete killed both victims in the garage by striking them with an object and strangling them.

To conceal the crime, Navarrete allegedly sent text messages to his deceased parents and staged a discovery of the bodies with his children. However, investigators used automated license plate readers and traffic cameras to track his movements. DNA analysis also found Navarrete’s DNA under his mother’s fingernails.