Indio double homicide suspect must stand trial, judge rules
A 23-year-old man accused of killing two people who were found in a burned vehicle was held to answer today.
A judge ruled Monday that Luis Armenta of Indio must stand trial on two counts of murder with sentence-enhancing allegations of having more than one victim and discharge of a firearm causing great bodily harm, according to court records, as well as a felony count of arson.
The defendant is due back in court for a post-preliminary hearing arraignment on Dec. 31 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.
Around 10:45 a.m. Dec. 2, 2022, officers responded to Power Line Road to a report of a burned vehicle that was found, according to the Indio Police Department.
Police said officers found two burned bodies inside the vehicle and detectives assumed the investigation.
The family told News Channel 3 that brothers Abelardo Zuniga, 21, and Cesar Zuniga, 18, were the victims of the murder.
Armenta was subsequently identified as the suspect in the investigation and was arrested two days later, according to inmate records.
He was booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center, where he was being held without bail, according to inmate records. He is currently being held at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta.
