Jurors hit impasse in trial of felon accused of killing Coachella Valley man
A Banning jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision today on murder and other charges in the trial of a probationer accused of fatally shooting a Coachella Valley man, prompting a judge to declare a mistrial.
Jurors in the trial of Hector Ramiro Yamanaka Ruiz, 45, had been deliberating since Wednesday morning, but informed Riverside County Superior Court Judge Francisco Navarro on Friday they were hopelessly deadlocked on the first-degree murder count, as well as a special-circumstance allegation of lying in wait and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
The jury did convict Ruiz of arson, possession of an incendiary device and violating a domestic violence restraining order.
The judge declared a mistrial on the charges on which jurors hung, scheduling a retrial status conference for Feb. 23 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio. Prosecutors are expected to announce they'll proceed with retrying the defendant on the unresolved charges.
He remains held without bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.
Ruiz is accused of gunning down of 35-year-old Jesus "Jesse" M. Hernandez.
According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney's Office, Hernandez was attacked in the predawn hours of July 14, 2022, at the house shared by Ruiz and his on-again, off-again girlfriend Daisy Cabrera Gil at 52798 Calle Leandro in Coachella.
Prosecutors allege Hernandez and Gil were casual acquaintances and communicated via social media on the night of July 13, arranging to meet at the Calle Leandro house to smoke methamphetamine and possibly engage in sex acts.
Prior to Hernandez's arrival, Gil sent him a Facebook message saying Ruiz "might try to come around and cause problems,'' the brief stated.
Soon after Hernandez reached the house, he and Gil started a game of darts, smoking meth and toying with the idea of going to bed together, prosecutors said.
In a later interview with sheriff's detectives, Ruiz acknowledged having an argument with Gil that night, but said he believed it was a pretext to get him out of the house, and he left voluntarily, certain that Gil had plans with another man. He left a bedroom window unlatched to enable him to get back inside, court papers said.
The brief alleged Gil and Hernandez were in the middle of a darts game when "Hector suddenly appeared from the hallway, pointing a silver-and- black (9mm) Glock handgun at Jesse."
The defendant was incensed the victim and Gil were openly discussing sex, allegedly firing six to seven shots at Hernandez, hitting him twice in the chest, killing him on the spot, according to the brief.
In his interview with homicide investigators, Ruiz claimed Hernandez had reached for a handgun on the living room table just prior to the shooting.
Court papers allege Ruiz then plotted how to get rid of the body, without objections from Gil. The defendant drove her to another house, then contacted his friend, 58-year-old Ireneo Dominguez Lagunes, who agreed to assist in disposal of the remains, prosecutors said.
Ruiz loaded Hernandez's body into the back of the victim's Mazda pickup truck and headed to Thermal, with Lagunes trailing behind in Gil's Buick Encore, according to the prosecution.
The brief alleged the two men stopped in a field in the 83-200 block of Avenue 60, where the pickup was set aflame by the defendant and Lagunes, who hastily departed in the Buick.
The property owner saw the fire before daybreak and called 911. County firefighters discovered the burned body and summoned deputies.
Using Hernandez's mobile phone and social media records, they were able to trace the final hours of his life and determine where and with whom he had been. Ruiz was arrested two weeks later, along with Lagunes and Gil.
She pleaded guilty last year to being an accessory after the fact, as did Lagunes. Gil received a two-year state prison sentence. Lagunes is due to be sentenced next week.
Court records show Ruiz has prior convictions for domestic violence, check fraud and receiving stolen property.
