Man accused of killing acquaintance, burying him near freeway arraigned

MURRIETA (CNS) - A 48-year-old man accused of gunning down an acquaintance and burying his remains just south of Interstate 10 in Cabazon pleaded not guilty today to first-degree murder and other charges.

Jesse Bruce Kennedy of Cabazon was arrested last month following a Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation into the death of Cristian Valenzuela Nieto.

Along with murder, Kennedy is charged with a special-circumstance allegation of lying in wait and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

The defendant was arraigned Friday before Superior Court Judge Theresa Canepa, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for Dec. 1 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.

Kennedy is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the nearby Byrd Detention Center.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Carlos Mendoza, detectives working a suspicious-circumstance investigation initiated after Nieto vanished developed leads on Aug. 22 indicating his body was located near a residence in the area of Poplar Street and William Avenue, less than a quarter-mile from eastbound lanes of I-10.

Further investigation led to recovery of the remains. It was unclear exactly where the victim was fatally shot, though court documents indicated he perished on Aug. 11. Mendoza did not specify a possible motive.

He said Kennedy was immediately identified as the alleged perpetrator and taken into custody without incident in a parking lot near the location where detectives found the remains.

Court records indicated that Kennedy has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County. However, he has a traffic-related conviction from the summer of 2021.