Man who gunned down Desert Hot Springs man nearly 10 years ago sentenced

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) - A 28-year-old man who fatally shot a Desert Hot Springs resident nearly a decade ago was sentenced today to 30 years to life in state prison.

Richard Alex Bernal of Desert Hot Springs pleaded guilty earlier this month to first-degree murder and attempted murder under a pretrial agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. In exchange for his admissions, sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations were dismissed against Bernal.  

During a hearing at the Larson Justice Center in Indio Friday, Superior Court Judge Kristi Hester imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense.

The defendant gunned down 35-year-old Emanuel Jenkins on June 15, 2017.   

According to DHS police, Jenkins was shot in the predawn hours in the 66200 block of Pierson Boulevard, near Cactus Drive. Investigators did not specify whether there was a dispute between the men, nor what circumstances led to the attack.  

By the time prosecutors charged the defendant with murder three years later, he was already in custody, facing unrelated felony charges stemming from a shooting over a gun sale gone wrong in August 2018. The victim wasn't identified.

That case was consolidated with the murder case, culminating in the plea bargain.

Bernal had no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.