Trio charged in death of man found in burning vehicle plead not guilty
Three Coachella residents suspected in the death of a man found inside a burning vehicle in Thermal re-entered not guilty pleas to felony charges today.
Hector Ramiro Yamanaka Ruiz, 44, was charged with one felony count each of murder, arson on property, and having a fire explosive, according to court records. He also faces a misdemeanor count of violating a domestic violence court order.
Ireneo Dominguez Lagunes, 57, faces one felony count each of committing arson on a property, having a fire explosive and being an accessory aid, according to court records.
Daisy Cabrera Gil, 34, was charged with being an accessory to the crime.
The charges stem from the July 14, 2022, death of Jesus M. Hernandez, 35, whose body was found around 2 a.m. inside a burning car in the 83000 block of Avenue 60 in Thermal.
Following the preliminary hearing June 24, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Stafford Hawkins ruled that there was sufficient evidence to hold all defendants to answer on their respective charges, which they initially pleaded not guilty to in early August 2022.
They re-entered not guilty pleas to the charges Wednesday morning at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. They're due back in court Aug. 11 for a trial-readiness conference.
During the preliminary hearing, Riverside County Sheriff's Department Investigator Daniel Cline said he interviewed Gil, who said she got into an argument with Ruiz, whom she was dating and living with at the time, on July 13, 2022, and at some point kicked him out of their residence.
While Ruiz was out of the residence, Gil got a message from Hernandez asking if she had anything to smoke and when she said yes, he went over, Cline said. They were allegedly smoking methamphetamine and began playing a dart game in the living room area when Ruiz entered the room with a firearm.
Gil said Hernandez motioned for Ruiz to calm down and backed up away from him, but Ruiz allegedly shot him six to seven times, according to Cline. It's alleged that during a second interview, Gil said Hernandez reached for his gun on a table before Ruiz shot him, two to three times at first, and around three more times again after he fell back to the ground.
Ruiz allegedly said during an interview that when Gil kicked him out, he knew she was going to invite another man to the house, so he left a window open in one of the bedrooms and went to his friend's house to retrieve a firearm, Cline said. He allegedly went inside the home, heard the two wagering
sex acts in the dart game, got angry, and walked into the room asking "What's going on here?'' before shooting Hernandez six times.
Ruiz then allegedly said Gil yelled at him and told him they needed to do something about what happened, according to Cline. Ruiz allegedly wanted to notify law enforcement but Gil advised against it due to her criminal record.
Gil was subsequently dropped off at someone's house and Ruiz went to Lagunes for help, Cline said. It's alleged that the two got gas and, with one of them driving Hernandez's vehicle and the other driving Gil's vehicle, they drove into a dirt area.
The vehicle was then set on fire with Hernandez inside and they drove to a gas station before going to pick up Gil again, according to Cline. The scene was then allegedly cleaned with mops and bleach, which allegedly were discarded at a dumpster of some apartments in Coachella.
All three suspects were arrested in 2022 in Coachella.
Yamanaka was arrested July 29, 2022, near Mountain Drive and was being held without bail at the Southwest Detention Center, according to inmate records. Gil was arrested around the same time that day near Mazatlan Drive and was being held on $500,000 bail at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning. Lagunes was arrested Aug. 1, 2022, at noon near Valencia Lane and was being held at the John J. Benoit Detention Center on $1 million bail.
