Update – 2/3/26 The Whitewater man arrested in connection with the shooting was cleared of all charges, the jury ruled. Original Report – 6/16/25 LA QUINTA, Calif. (KESQ) – Homicide investigators with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department have made an arrest in the 2019 shooting death of a man in La Quinta, authorities said. The
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A pool serviceman who fatally beat a 93-year-old Palm Desert woman while trying to steal from her was sentenced today to 19 years to life in state prison. An Indio jury in April convicted Benjamin Cabrera Briones, 62, of Thousand Palms of second-degree murder, as well as burglary and forgery, for
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A convicted felon who choked his girlfriend to death during a domestic conflict in the parking lot of an Indio condominium complex was sentenced today to 15 years to life in state prison. An Indio jury in April convicted 44-year-old Eduardo Alvarez of the 2020 slaying of 32-year-old Madeleine Gutierrez of
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Editor’s Note: The original version of this article had the sentence as 25 years to life. This was incorrect. Jose Ernesto Martinez was sentenced to 50 years to life INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A Desert Hot Springs man convicted of killing his girlfriend’s lover was sentenced to 50 years to life in prison. Jose Ernesto
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PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – A heavy police presence was in Palm Desert near Monterey Avenue and Sagewood Drive Thursday as Sheriff’s deputies on the ground and in the air searched for a hit-and-run suspect. According to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called out to a hit-and-run crash at around 5:25 p.m. in
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Spectrum is offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information on a vandalism incident in the Palm Springs area this week. According to the company, individuals intentionally cut its fiber lines on Wednesday in the southeast area of Palm Springs, causing a service outage for some customers and businesses
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A 24-year-old Desert Hot Springs man caught with hundreds of pornographic pictures and videos depicting children was sentenced today to 16 months in state prison. Victor Christopher Lascano pleaded guilty in March to two counts of possession of child porn, as well as a sentence-enhancing allegation of possession of explicit material
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MURRIETA, Calif. (KESQ) – A jury deliberated one day before convicting a young man of first-degree murder for fatally shooting a 17-year-old Cathedral City boy during a street confrontation that possibly stemmed from ill-will that had developed when the two worked together. A Murrieta jury on Tuesday afternoon found Juan Alfredo Landeros Garcia, 26, of
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Editor’s Note: The wrong address for the Arabian Gardens Mobile Home Park was listed in the original version of the article. The correct address is on Clinton Street and Fred Waring Drive. INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Police recovered several illegal firearms during a search warrant service at a mobile home park in Indio Wednesday morning.
Continue Reading MURRIETA, Calif. (KESQ) – Jury deliberations got underway today in the trial of a young man accused of fatally shooting a 17-year-old Cathedral City boy during a street confrontation that possibly stemmed from ill will that developed when the two worked together. Juan Alfredo Landeros Garcia, 26, of Cathedral City is charged with first-degree murder,
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BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – An 82-year-old man convicted of killing a 75-year-old woman in Palm Springs six years ago was sentenced to 15 years to life on Monday. Last month, Stephen Roy McKernan was found guilty of second-degree murder in the killing of Claire Carsman at her Palm Springs home in 2019. The jury also
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BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – The jury has begun deliberations in the high-profile bribery trial of Palm Springs developer John Wessman. Closing arguments wrapped up Friday morning. Wessman faces nine counts of bribery and one count of conspiracy. He is accused of paying former Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet more than $200,000 to secure city support
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PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Investigators identified more potential victims in a case of an ex-indie rock drummer accused of possessing child pornography and recording a minor in a public restroom. New charges were filed this week against Joseph Seiders, 44, of Palm Desert, after investigators identified two additional victims not associated with the initial
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Defense testimony is slated to last all next week in the trial of an ex-Riverside County sheriff’s deputy accused of gunning down a man with whom he was at odds because the victim had been involved with the lawman’s then-girlfriend. Oscar Rodriguez, 44, is charged with first-degree murder and sentence-enhancing gun
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BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – An 86-year-old real estate developer accused of giving then-Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet with six-figure bribes to win his support for projects violated the “public trust,” putting a politician in his pocket to satisfy his greed, a prosecutor said today, while the defense countered that the real corruption lies with a
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MURRIETA, Calif. (KESQ) – Two of three men who abducted, severely beat and fatally shot an Anza man because they believed he might snitch on them for perpetrating thefts at marijuana grows were both convicted this week of first-degree murder. Â Â George Frank Holley Jr., 42, of Oklahoma City and Nico Manuel Zahir, 30, of
Continue Reading MURRIETA, Calif. (KESQ) – Defense testimony began today in the trial of a young man accused of fatally shooting a 17-year-old Cathedral City boy during a street confrontation possibly stemming from ill-will that developed when the two worked together. Juan Alfredo Landeros Garcia, 26, of Cathedral City, is charged with first-degree murder, shooting at an
Continue Reading BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – The defense is slated to rest Thursday, setting the stage for closing arguments, in the trial of a real estate developer accused of enriching the one-time mayor of Palm Springs with six-figure bribes to cinch his support for downtown projects. Testimony in the trial of 86-year-old John Elroy Wessman got underway
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CABAZON, Calif. (KESQ) – Â An acre-wide fire that broke out Wednesday afternoon on a mountainside near Cabazon was likely the result of arson. The Elm Fire was first reported at around 3:00 p.m. in the area of Adele Avenue and Elm Street. Riverside County Fire Department officials said multiple engine crews and a Cal Fire
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RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – Riverside County prosecutors will decide in the coming weeks whether to retry a convicted felon accused of second-degree murder for directly conspiring with a friend to burglarize a Desert Hot Springs house, where the friend was fatally shot by an occupant. After two days of deliberations, a Riverside jury announced Monday
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