Lancaster roommate murder suspect turns himself in

LANCASTER, Calif. (KABC) -- A man sought in the killing of his roommate in Lancaster turned himself in at a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department station on Friday, officials said.

Officials said 23-year-old Mario Jose Estrada, accompanied by several family members, surrendered himself at the Lancaster sheriff's station early morning, following a day-long manhunt by homicide investigators.

His roommate's body was found Thursday morning in a field close to where the men lived in the 44700 block of Division Street. A nearby resident saw the body and said the victim was shot in the head.

A Lancaster man wanted in the murder of his roommate is considered armed and dangerous, according to sheriff's deputies.

According to Estrada's family, he admitted to shooting his roommate and they tried to convince him to turn himself in on Thursday, but he was nowhere to be found.

"The suspect called his older brother claiming that he had shot his roommate," Sgt. Robert Martindale with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

Family members rushed to the scene of the murder and discovered the gruesome crime before contacting the LASD.

Deputies didn't disclose a motive behind the murder.

Estrada was taken into custody and booked for murder. He was being held in lieu of $2 million bail.