Crime

A convicted felon who gunned down a Riverside motel guest after the victim punched him was convicted today of first-degree murder. A Riverside jury deliberated less than a day before finding Robert Donald Intong, 48, of Desert Hot Springs guilty of the 2021 slaying of 31-year-old Cole William Birchard of Riverside. Along with the murder

An Arizona man pleaded guilty to multiple charges today and was immediately sentenced to jail time and probation for illegally smuggling firearms and ammunition across a state border. Alexis Ayala Molina, 22, of Phoenix, pleaded guilty at the Larson Justice Center in Indio to one of 29 original counts of assault weapon possession and two

A GoFundMe page has launched in connection with the killing of a Desert Hot Springs man on Friday night. Christian Salas, 31, tragically died in a homicide shooting and is survived by his wife, Rachel Salas, and their six children. Salas organized the GoFundMe to put her husband to rest. Salas wrote, “I’m asking for help

Five Riverside County men and a Las Vegas resident are facing a federal charge of taking part in a series of burglaries and attempted burglaries at firearms stores across Southern California, pilfering more than 300 weapons, prosecutors said today.    Lake Elsinore residents Cross Arjay Goree, 18, Caine Aiden Goree, 22, Brendan Markel Hawkins, 19,

At 1:59 P.M. today, deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department received a report of a shooting in the area of Vista Del Norte and Dillon Road in Coachella. When deputies arrived to the gated community of Villas at the Vineyards, they were able to locate evidence that a shooting had taken place, however, no

A 35-year-old man accused of killing a man and burning his body inside a vehicle in Thermal in July 2020 must stand trial for murder and other charges, a judge ruled today. Ruben Corria Esquivel Jr. of Coachella was held to answer for one felony count each of murder, arson on a property, having a

The sentencing was delayed again for a man convicted for the second time in the financially motivated killing of a Palm Springs retiree in 2008. Daniel Carlos Garcia, 41, was scheduled to be sentenced on Friday at the Larson Justice Center, but it was delayed as his new attorney requested more time to catch up

One of three men accused of stealing from a Palm Springs pool supply business pleaded guilty today to a felony burglary charge.    Riverside resident Robert Firman, 44, entered his guilty plea at a felony settlement conference Thursday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. Misdemeanor charges of possession of burglary tools and possession of

A jury has recommended the death penalty for an Indio man who gunned down an 18-year-old crime witness. Alexis Daniel Rosas, 28, was convicted last month of first-degree murder for the 2019 slaying of Makayla Jean Massey, also known as Anita Garcia, of Victorville. Along with murder, the panel convicted Rosas of attempted murder and found

Jury deliberations began today in the penalty phase of the trial for an Indio man who murdered an 18-year-old crime witness. Alexis Daniel Rosas, 28, and his one-time girlfriend, 33-year-old Maury Duarte, were convicted of first-degree murder on June 17 for the 2019 slaying of Victorville resident Makayla Jean Massey, also known as Anita Garcia.

A felon accused of killing a 30-year-old Cabazon man whose disappearance remained a mystery until his remains were located more than two years later pleaded not guilty today to murder. Shannon McCloud Collins, 47, of Cabazon was arrested last month following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the 2021 death of Zachary Hemminger. Collins