Man to stand trial for allegedly committing double homicide in Coachella

A 24-year-old man accused of killing a man and woman in Coachella must stand trial on two counts of first-degree murder and other charges, a judge ruled today.

Daniel Torres Cerda of Coachella allegedly gunned down 23-year-old Hector Ramos, also of Coachella, and 26-year-old Monique Vega of Valle Verda in 2022.

Following a preliminary hearing Friday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, Riverside County Superior Court Judge James Hawkins found there was sufficient evidence to bound Cerda over for trial on the murder counts, along with auto theft, special circumstance allegations of taking multiple lives in the same crime and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.   

The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Feb. 20. The defendant is being held without bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.

According to sheriff's investigators, on the morning of Oct. 23, 2022, Cerda allegedly confronted the victims inside a guest house on a property in the 85300 block of 52nd Avenue, near Date Avenue.

For undisclosed reasons, the defendant pulled a handgun and fatally shot the pair, then fled the scene, investigators alleged.   

Later that same day, Cerda called the sheriff's Thermal station and allegedly informed deputies that two deceased people could be found in the guest house, leading to confirmation of the killings, sheriff's officials said at the time.

Investigators were able to verify the location of the caller -- the Bay Area -- and his identity -- Cerda -- culminating in a request for Colma City Police Department personnel to make contact with him and detain him for questioning.

The defendant was taken into custody without incident and transferred from Northern California to Riverside County three days later.   

He has no documented prior felony convictions in the county.