Update 4/4/25 The suspects, Luis Alberto Gonzalez, 32, of Victorville and Jose Estevan Chavarria Jr., 28, of Los Angeles, were charged on Friday. Chavarria was set to be arraigned in court on Friday in Riverside, however, court records show that was pushed back to Monday. Gonzalez is set to be arraigned on Tuesday, jail records
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Jury selection got underway today for the trial of a pool serviceman accused of fatally beating a 93-year-old Palm Desert woman during a robbery. Benjamin Cabrera Briones, 62, of Thousand Palms is charged with first- degree murder, burglary, forgery and special-circumstance allegations of killing in the course of a robbery and
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PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Palm Springs Police Department will conduct a DUI checkpoint today at an undisclosed location. Â Â The checkpoint will be held from 7 p.m. Friday until 2 a.m. Saturday in Palm Springs, according to the department. Â Â The location of the checkpoint will be determined by officers based on data
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PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies were called just before 12:30 a.m. Wednesday morning to look into a report of a suspicious person trying to open the front door of a home in the University Park area off Cook Street in Palm Desert. Deputies searched the area and detained a suspect who
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PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is seeking a woman suspected of using of fraudulent $14,000 transaction using someone else’s credit card at the Palm Desert Costco. The cardholder was notified of the fraud on Feb. 27. “The victim was notified of a $14,000 transaction to her credit card from
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BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – Jury selection began today in the trial of an 82-year-old man accused of fatally bludgeoning a senior who had invited him to stay at her and her husband’s Palm Springs home. Stephen Roy McKernan allegedly killed 75-year-old Claire Carsman in 2019. Â Â McKernan is charged with first-degree murder and sentence-enhancing allegations
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BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – A Banning man who sexually assaulted a developmentally disabled woman over a five-year span pleaded guilty today to forcible sexual penetration. Rene Leonel Robles Cerna, 39, admitted the felony charge under a plea agreement with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. In exchange for his admission, prosecutors agreed to drop six
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PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – A Palm Desert man and a 17-year-old teenager were arrested in connection with a shooting back in February, authorities announced Tuesday. The arrest comes after a gunshot wound victim arrived at a local hospital on February 26. Information on where the shooting happened was not available. An investigation was launched.
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RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – Three Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies were injured when a defendant attempted to flee a courtroom Friday morning. The incident happened just before Noon at the Riverside Hall of Justice. According to the Sheriff’s Office, the judge remanded that the defendant be taken into custody during a court hearing. When deputies attempted
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BOISE, Idaho (KESQ) – A Riverside County man convicted of a fentanyl overdose death in Idaho was sentenced to 13 years in federal prison, authorities announced. Brian Arthur Goodale, 56, of Lake Elsinore pled guilty to distributing fentanyl. In addition to his prison sentence, he was ordered to pay restitution to the family of the
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JOSHUA TREE, Calif. (KESQ) – A man was arrested early Tuesday morning after allegedly being found with two guns in front of the Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree. The arrest happened just before 1:30 a.m. According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, hospital staff reported a man pacing in front of the building
Continue Reading LOS ANGELES (KESQ) – A Riverside County man pleaded guilty today in downtown Los Angeles to a federal charge for hosting illegal cockfights in which owners paid $1,000 to register roosters expected to fight to the death while spectators gambled on the bloody results. Isidro Chaparro Sanchez, 59, of Corona, entered a plea to one
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A 17-year-old boy was found dead in Salton City after he went missing.
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RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – Police warn residents to stay vigilant if falling victim in extortion scams. Two women accused of targeting a Rancho Mirage man this week for extorting him of over $100,000 both pleaded not guilty yesterday to felony charges. Bertha Verduzco Gasso, 67, and Ilvia Yvette Lopez, 43, both of Hemet, were arrested
Continue Reading Update – 3/28/25 McKernan’s case has been moved to the Banning Justice Center. The case is set to continue on Tuesday. Original Report – 3/27/25 RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – Trial proceedings were suspended on Thursday for an 82-year-old man accused of fatally bludgeoning a senior who had invited him to stay at her and her
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RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – Two women accused of targeting a Ranch Mirage man in a six-figure immigration-driven extortion scam both pleaded not guilty today to felony charges. Bertha Verduzco Gasso, 67, and Ilvia Yvette Lopez, 43, both of Hemet, were arrested Tuesday following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation that began earlier this month.
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RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – An ex-con suspected of fatally stabbing her wife, a veteran Riverside County Fire Department captain, at their home and then fleeing to Mexico — where she was apprehended over the weekend — pleaded not guilty to a murder charge on Wednesday. Yolanda Marodi, 53, is accused of killing her spouse of
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A man charged with the murder of his parents in Indio was arraigned in court on Wednesday. Kevin James Reddy, 51, pleaded not guilty to charges, which include two counts of murder with a special circumstance. He will return to court on April 7 for a felony settlement conference. He is
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INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A 54-year-old man who drove drunk and caused a multi-vehicle crash that killed three people in Palm Springs is slated to be sentenced to state prison next month. Shawn Michael Kirkpatrick on Tuesday admitted three counts of DUI gross vehicular manslaughter, as well as DUI resulting in great bodily injury and
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INDIO Calif. (KESQ) – With Coachella just weeks away, scammers are targeting festivalgoers looking for short term rentals (STR). Fake listings are popping up on Craigslist, complete with stolen property photos and fake rental contracts  – all designed to trick attendees into handing over money and leaving them stranded when they arrive. In a statement
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