19-year-old man accused of killing Cathedral City resident arraigned

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) - A documented gang member accused, along with two teenage boys, of gunning down a 36-year-old Cathedral City man pleaded not guilty today to first-degree murder and other charges.  

Gabriel Isaiah Rocha Jr., 19, of Cathedral City, was arrested earlier this month following a nearly two-month investigation by the Cathedral City Police Department into the slaying of Cristian Zaragoza.

Along with murder, Rocha is charged with a special-circumstance allegation of killing for the benefit of a criminal street gang, as well as sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

The defendant was arraigned Thursday before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Tucker, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for June 10 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

Rocha is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail.   

According to CCPD Commander Jon Enos, on the morning of Feb. 17, Rocha and two 14-year-old boys, identified only as Cathedral City and Indio residents, allegedly targeted Zaragoza in the 30800 block of San Gabriel Circle, near San Luis Rey Drive.

Court documents indicated the alleged assailants were acting in the interest of their gang, which wasn't named, at the time of the encounter.   

The victim was shot several times, after which Rocha and the boys allegedly fled, Enos said.    He said officers and paramedics reached the location within minutes, and Zaragoza was pronounced dead at the scene.   

In the ensuing weeks, homicide detectives, with assistance from investigators assigned to the Riverside County Gang Impact Team, identified Rocha and the two boys as the alleged attackers, according to Enos.

No other details were disclosed.   

Warrants were served on the trio at a property in the 69100 block of Dinah Shore Drive on April 8, when they were taken into custody without incident.

Rocha was transported to jail, while the boys were booked into Riverside Juvenile Hall. Their murder case will be disposed in Riverside County Juvenile Dependency Court.

Rocha has no documented prior felony convictions in adult court. Background information on the minors was unavailable.