Coachella man charged with the murder of his children’s mother, grandmother after custody exchange
A Coachella man has been charged with the murder of his children's mother and grandmother during a custody exchange over the weekend in Moreno Valley.
Salvador Velasquez, 39, was arrested on Saturday during the service of a search warrant at his home in Coachella. His arrest came a day after deputies found Esmeralda Casillas, 36, and her mother, Ofelia Casillas, 68, with gunshot wounds in Moreno Valley. The two women were rushed to the hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department confirmed Esmeralda, an El Cajon resident, was the mother of Velasquez's two young twin boys. Authorities added that the investigation was determined to be a case of domestic violence occurring after a child custody exchange.
According to investigators, Velasquez received the boys from Esmeralda prior to the shooting. The two women were shot and Velasquez took the children. The two children were found during the search warrant service at Velasquez's home.
The Riverside County District Attorney's office charged Velasquez with two counts of murder. He is being held at the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio. He is scheduled to be arraigned at the Riverside Hall of Justice on Wednesday.
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