Man recently arrested for 2012 Indio murder bailed out, family of victim speaks out

John Paul Cortina, 36, was arrested in Oct 2021 in connection with the murder of Isela Duran, 45, in Indio on July 11, 2012. Duran was killed in a shooting that left another person injured. The case remained unsolved for nearly a decade.

Cortina appeared in court for a hearing on Feb.10. A DA's office spokesperson tells News Channel 3, bail for the suspect, John Paul Cortina, was lowered from $1 million to $50,000.

According to county jail records, Cortina was bailed out on Feb.11. He is due back in court on March 16.

The Riverside County District Attorney is objecting to a local judge's decision to lower the bail of an Indio murder suspect. There was no word on why the judge ruled to lower bail.

Isela’s daughters, Michelle Duran and Marissa Flores, continue to fight for their mother's justice to this day. After finding out about the bail reduction, the family decided to create a petition against it.

“He was only in jail for four months and then they hit us with this. It just does not make sense to us," said Michelle. "We were all questioning each other like if we heard it right... Why did this happen?”

Time has not healed the wounds of Isela’s family.

“We just want him to be behind bars, there's no reason why this person accused of murder should be out," said Michelle. “We want justice, and we're not going to stop. I mean, we came this far- we're not gonna- we're not gonna give up.”

News Channel 3 reached out to Cortina’s defense attorney, however, they declined to comment on the issue.