Man, 34, convicted of fatally shooting man near Indio in 2020
A man who fatally shot another man in an unincorporated area of Riverside County near Indio was convicted today of murder.
Ruben Corria Esquivel Jr., 34, of Coachella was also convicted of being a felon and narcotic addict in possession of a firearm, and jurors additionally found true a sentence-enhancing allegation of discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury.
The charges stem from the killing of 42-year-old Vincent "Chente" Aispuro on Feb. 21, 2020, in the 47600 block of Van Buren Street.
Jurors deliberated for less than a day before reaching their verdict. According to Riverside County District Attorney's office public information specialist Brooke Beare, a sentencing date will be set on Monday along with a trial date for a strike prior.
Esquivel was recently also charged in a separate murder that occurred in July 2020
Esquivel's defense attorney Shaun Sullivan rested his case Wednesday and Deputy District Attorney Samantha Paixao delivered her closing arguments shortly afterward. Sullivan delivered his closing arguments in the afternoon, and jurors began deliberating at 3:53 p.m.
During opening statements, Paixao told jurors that at around midnight on Feb. 21, 2020, Esquivel and Martha Perez Espinoza, 43, of Coachella, went to a drug house where the victim resided, but were unwelcome.
"When they come to the residence, Chente tells them they've gotta go. And just because of that, because someone told him they have to leave, Ruben Esquivel lifted up immediately a gun from his waistband and shot Chente right in the chest area," Paixao said. "One shot and Chente was gone forever simply because (Esquivel) was told he had to leave, and he didn't like that kind of disrespect."
Paixao said a different man, Rodolfo Diaz, was initially identified as the murder suspect by a witness, though an investigation showed that there was no link between him and the murder.
Sullivan told jurors that the murder took place in an area of the Coachella Valley that is full of "desperate" and "unreliable" people who would subsequently be taking the witness stand to make the case against his client.
There's nothing to deny that Chente was shot and killed that night, but why the shooting occurred and who committed the shooting is unclear, Sullivan told jurors, adding that initial witness statements to law enforcement pointed to Diaz.
After the investigation continued for a few months, the witness who initially identified Diaz as the suspect told law enforcement that Esquivel was actually the perpetrator, according to Sullivan.
Sheriff's deputies arrested Esquivel on July 24, 2020, in the 88000 block of Avenue 70, near Mecca, where he holed up for several hours before surrendering.
Esquivel has documented felony convictions in Riverside County that include attempted carjacking and multiple parole violations, court records show.
Espinoza pleaded guilty in 2020 to being an accessory after the fact for her part in the shooting and was sentenced to 18 months in jail and 18 months of mandatory supervision upon her release.
