Escondido man arrested in connection with 2020 Cathedral City murder, DHS man wanted
Police arrested a suspect in connection with the murder of a 24-year-old man nearly three years ago in Cathedral City.
Johnny Ramirez, 30, of Escondido was arrested on Aug. 8. He was charged with second-degree murder, which he pleaded not guilty to on Aug. 10.
Police said a second suspect, Edgar Navez, 31, of Desert Hot Springs remains wanted.
The crime dates back to Nov. 23, 2020. At around 8:00 p.m., police were called to the intersection of Avenida Del Yermo and Ramon Road to respond to a report of a man down. Officers arrived to the scene and discovered the man was an assault victim.
The victim, identified as Ricardo Gallardo, 24, of Cathedral City, was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center, where he was later pronounced dead.
Detectives have been investigating the case ever since, however, there was a major breakthrough in Aug. 2023. Detectives presented the case to the Riverside County District Attorney's office.
The Riverside County District Attorney’s office filed the case with the Superior Court of Riverside and two arrest warrants were issued for the arrest of the suspects.
Police were able to locate and arrest Ramirez. He remains in custody at the Southwest Detention Center in $1 million bail.
Navez has not been found and remains wanted for murder. He currently has a $1 million warrant for his arrest, police said.
If you have information related to this incident or believe you may have information, please contact the Cathedral City Police Department at (760) 770-0300; or via the Cathedral City Police Department website at: cathedralcitypolice.com; or email tips@cathedralcity.gov .
You may also report information anonymously through Coachella Valley Crime Stoppers, by calling (760) 341-STOP; or through the WeTip hotline at: 1-(800)-78-CRIME or WWW.WETIP.com . Some tip information may qualify for a cash reward.
Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.
