Man accusing of killing wife in La Quinta must stand trial for murder

A 29-year-old man accused of gunning down his wife at a mobile home park in La Quinta while their children slept nearby must stand trial on a murder charge, a judge ruled today.

Jose Valles Meza of La Quinta was arrested on Jan. 27, 2019, on suspicion of killing Patricia Cesena, 26, of La Quinta, who was found dead inside a residence in the Dune Palms Mobile Estates at 46400 Dune Palms Road.

At a preliminary hearing at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Charles Stafford ruled that prosecutors presented sufficient evidence for Meza to proceed to trial on one count of first-degree murder.

Meza was additionally held to answer on a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait, which makes him eligible for the death penalty if prosecutors choose to pursue it.

Stafford denied the defendant bail, and scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Dec. 2. The defendant remains in custody at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.

California Highway Patrol Officer Michael Bernardino testified that the investigation into the woman's slaying stemmed from a traffic stop in Imperial County at about 3:30 a.m. on Jan. 27. The defendant was pulled over for speeding and was subsequently taken into custody on suspicion of drunk driving, the officer said. Once at the local jail, Meza told the officer he "witnessed a murder,'' Bernardino testified.

Riverside County sheriff's deputies were sent to the Dune Palms Road address to conduct a welfare check, and found Cesena dead at about 5:50 a.m. that morning inside a mobile home, according to the sheriff's department.

The couple's four children were additionally found sleeping in the other room by responding deputies, sheriff's Investigator Martin Alfaro testified.

According to Alfaro, the victim suffered a single gunshot wound to the head area, which appears to have been fired from outside the home.

Sheriff's Investigator Armando Munoz testified that one of the children, an 8-year-old girl, said in an interview after the shooting that her parents often fought, and that cameras were placed throughout the house because her father believed her mother was inviting other men to the home.

Meza has no documented felony convictions in Riverside County, court records show.