Jury acquits man of murder in death at Cathedral City Applebee’s
A man accused of fatally shooting a 31-year-old acquaintance during an altercation at an Applebee's in Cathedral City was acquitted today of second-degree murder.
A Riverside jury deliberated two days before finding 34-year-old Willie Ramirez Bustamante of Cathedral City not guilty in the death last year of Ernesto Lazcano Arroyo, also of Cathedral City.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Hollenhorst closed the case after the verdict was returned, relieving Bustamante of his bail obligations.
The trial lasted nearly two weeks. Jurors went behind closed doors Thursday but were given Friday off. They returned Monday and deliberated until early in the afternoon before announcing they had reached a unanimous decision.
According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney's Office, Bustamante and Arroyo were casual acquaintances, and late on the night of Aug. 6, 2023, the victim went to the Applebee's at 32-400 Date Palm Drive to eat with his wife, Stephanie Salazar, while the defendant went to the eatery with his wife, Hannah Bustamante, and friends.
The victim and defendant were seated at tables a short distance from one another. Arroyo got up during his meal and walked to the booth where Bustamante and his company were seated, exchanging words with them in what witnesses recalled was a "friendly" manner, the brief stated. However, within seconds of Arroyo returning to his table, Bustamante got up and confronted the victim angrily, igniting a fistfight, prosecutors said.
At least two people inside the restaurant, including a server, used their mobile phones to record the ensuing 25-second altercation, during which a glass was thrown, and Bustamante and possibly two others traded blows with Arroyo, who "was getting hurt really bad" until the combatants tumbled outside onto the handicap ramp, where Arroyo knocked Bustamante to the ground, according to the brief.
Several witnesses later told police the fight effectively ended at that point, because Arroyo backed away, leaving almost 10 feet between himself and Bustamante, who nevertheless pulled a semiautomatic handgun and leveled it at Arroyo, prosecutors alleged.
Arroyo then allegedly lunged at Bustamante, who opened fire, mortally wounding the victim, court papers said.
The defendant fled the location, while paramedics and Cathedral City Police Department officers were called.
Arroyo was taken to a Coachella Valley trauma center, where he died a short time later.
Bustamante was identified as the alleged shooter the following day and was taken into custody without incident at his residence in the 69-100 block of Dinah Shore Drive.
A clear motive for the fight was not disclosed.
Court records show Bustamante was charged with attempted murder and other offenses over a decade ago in connection with an attack in Palm Springs, but the charges were later dismissed.
He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.
