Man already in custody for murder identified as suspect in killing of Mecca man in July 2020
A man already in custody for murder was named as the suspect in a different homicide in the east valley in July 2020.
Ruben Esquivel, 34, of Coachella was named as the suspect in the killing of Luis Pinedo, 23, of Mecca. Pinedo's body was found inside a burning vehicle in Thermal on July 18, 2020. A few days later, the Coroner's office found evidence of "homicidal violence" during the post-mortem examination.
There weren't updates released publicly on the case until today, however, we're learning that Esquivel was in custody almost a week after Pinedo's body was discovered.
Esquivel was arrested on July 24, 2020 in Thermal in connection with a deadly shooting in February 2020.
Esquivel was identified as the suspect in the death of Vincent Aispuro, 42, who was shot at around midnight on Feb. 21 near Martin Van Buren Elementary School on the 47600 block of Van Buren Street near Indio.
After a five-month investigation into the shooting, Esquivel was tracked down to a home in the 88000 block of Avenue 70 near Mecca, where he holed up for several hours before surrendering.
In Sept. 2020, a Coachella woman pled guilty to helping Esquivel avoid capture for the February shooting. She was sentenced to 18 months in jail plus another 18 months of mandatory supervision.
Esquivel is currently awaiting trial for the Feb. 2020 homicide case. He is scheduled to return to court for this case on Wednesday, where he is also expected to be arraigned on the new charges.
He has documented felony convictions in Riverside County that include attempted carjacking and three parole violations, court records show. He was also convicted in 2012 of a misdemeanor for participating in a criminal street gang.
Anyone with additional information about the homicide was urged to call Sheriff's Central Homicide Investigator Mendoza at 951-955-2777.
Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates on this case.
