Two men charged in deadly 2018 shooting of local jiu-jitsu instructor
Two men suspected in the 2018 fatal shooting of a jiu-jitsu instructor in Cathedral City are set to be arraigned next week on murder.
Troy Walter Edmund, 44, and Kipko Griffin, 48, additionally face a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait, according to court records. Edmund was also charged with one felony count of being a convicted felon and narcotic addict in possession of a firearm as well as a sentence-enhancing allegation of discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury.
During their first court appearance for the case at the Larson Justice Center in Indio Thursday afternoon, their arraignment was pushed to Aug. 2.
Detectives worked numerous leads in the March 28, 2018, murder of Ramon Diaz but it wasn't until the department's detective bureau got a lead in June 2023 that they were able to identify Edmund and Griffin as the suspects, according to Investigative Commander Rick Sanchez of the Cathedral City Police Department. Griffin was arrested Tuesday while Edmund was already behind bars in unrelated charges.
"I want to thank the local police for not giving up on this case. So many people have been needing closure on Professor Diaz's murder,'' UFC hall of famer Cub Swanson wrote on social media Wednesday. "Ramon Diaz was my original (Brazilian jiu-jitsu) instructor and the reason I started (mixed martial
arts)."
Sanchez said officers responded at around 9:45 p.m. that day to a report of a gunshot victim in the 31000 block of Whispering Palms Trail.
"Video surveillance from the surrounding area showed the suspect vehicle pulled up to the victim's home, the passenger door opened, and the suspect exited the vehicle and walked towards the victim,'' Sanchez wrote in a statement. "The suspect is later seen running away from the residence towards the awaiting suspect vehicle that was parked at the intersection."
The vehicle then sped away from the scene, according to Sanchez. Diaz subsequently succumbed to his injuries as Cathedral City Fire Department personnel were taking him to a hospital.
Detectives issued numerous search warrants and conducted several interviews that led them to Edmund and Griffin, according to police.
The Riverside County Gang Impact Team executed a search warrant at Griffin's residence Tuesday, when they took him into custody without incident, according to Sanchez.
He was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, where Edmund was already in custody, according to inmate records. They both remain held -- Griffin on $1 million bail and Edmund on $200,000 bail.
Anyone with information on the 2018 shooting was asked to call Sanchez at 760-202-2488.
