Two arrested in connection with the murder of a man found in a burnt building in Sept. 2019

Two convicted felons charged with murder in the shooting death of a man near Indio last fall remain behind bars today and are scheduled to return to court on Sept. 8.

Indio residents Ricardo Pescador, 46, and Gerardo Rivera, 28, are accused in the slaying of 48-year-old Allen Hood of Indio, whose body was found inside a burnt building in the 84000 block of Corregidor Avenue on Sept. 24, 2019.

Each defendant pleaded not guilty to a murder count last week, and denied sentence-enhancing allegations of participating in a criminal street gang and discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury. The pair remain behind bars, with bail set set at $2 million for each defendant.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department announced over the weekend that deputies arrested the ex-cons in the nearly year-old homicide, although information about how the men were linked to the crime was not released, nor did investigators detail a possible motive.

Jail records show Pescador was arrested last Oct. 1 stemming from a separate spate of alleged crimes and was charged two days later with possessing a controlled substance while armed, among other felonies. A Sept. 11 preliminary hearing at the Larson Justice Center in Indio is scheduled in that case.

Rivera was arrested Aug. 21 on Sutter Creek Road in Indio, according to jail records.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Richard Carroll, Hood's body was found after firefighters extinguished a structure fire in unincorporated Riverside County near Indio. He had sustained injuries that "were inconsistent with the fire," Carroll said.

Pescador has previous documented felony convictions in Riverside County for receiving stolen property and vehicle theft.

Rivera was convicted of a felony for being an adult in possession of a firearm with a juvenile conviction. He also has a misdemeanor conviction for participating in a criminal street gang.