Felon found guilty of killing girlfriend in Indio

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) - A convicted felon who choked his girlfriend to death during a domestic confrontation in the parking lot of an Indio condominium complex was awaiting sentencing today after being convicted of second-degree murder.

An Indio jury on Wednesday found 44-year-old Eduardo Alvarez of Indio guilty of the 2020 slaying of 32-year-old Madeleine Gutierrez, also of Indio.   

Jurors returned with a unanimous verdict late in the afternoon after deliberating roughly two days. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Otis Sterling set a sentencing hearing for June 13 at the Larson Justice Center.   

Alvarez is likely to receive the mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years to life in state prison.  

He is being held without bail at the Benoit Detention Center.    According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney's Office, he and Gutierrez were in a tumultuous relationship that started in 2018. Their final conflict happened in the predawn hours of Oct. 17, 2020, when the victim called 911 after an argument outside the Encanto Apartments in the 46-700 block of Clinton Street.

Prosecutors said Indio police officers arrived shortly before 4 a.m. and found Gutierrez standing with a building security guard, complaining that Alvarez had forcibly taken her car keys.

When officers asked whether she wanted to leave in her vehicle while Alvarez remained behind for her safety, the woman said no, instead telling the policemen she preferred the defendant stay with her. The two then left in her hatchback.   

A little over an hour later, Alvarez called 911, claiming he and his girlfriend had just been attacked in the parking lot of the Summer Breeze Condos in the 47-300 block of Monroe Street and that he was passing out, prosecutors said.

When police reached the location, they discovered the defendant in a fetal position, laying next to Gutierrez, who was unconscious, on her back in front of her vehicle, arms outstretched at her sides and exhibiting ``facial injuries and some marks around her neck,'' the brief stated.

Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene 20 minutes later. The cause of death was determined to be manual strangulation.   

Gutierrez ``feigned unconsciousness'' as he lay in the parking lot, betraying his alertness by forcing his eyes shut while paramedics checked him for injuries. He had apparent swelling on the left side of his forehead, but ``no other obvious signs of trauma,'' court papers said.

He was taken to a hospital for examination, then cleared to leave with detectives, who took him to the Indio Police Department for an interview. When asked about the circumstances of Gutierrez's death, Alvarez gave different accounts of what transpired.

He told investigators initially that he and Gutierrez had been out most of the night, going to places in Desert Hot Springs and Palm Springs before heading over to the Encanto Apartments, where his niece resided. He said there had been a minor tiff that prompted Gutierrez to get angry and try to ``run him over,'' but that it was a ``playful'' stunt. He told detectives he took her keys from her as a precaution, according to the brief.   

The defendant said they then drove to his residence and parked outside. In one version of events, Alvarez indicated the two were talking next to her car when a pair of unknown men approached and shouted ``Where you from?'' A tussle ensued, and Alvarez said he was punched in the head and fell to the ground, at which point the men turned their attention to Gutierrez, who struggled with them before she was knocked unconscious, court papers said.   

In another version, Alvarez said he and Gutierrez were enjoying a romantic moment in the open rear of her car when the two men accosted them, grabbed Alvarez by his feet and pulled him out of the car, causing his head to hit the pavement and stun him. He said Gutierrez fought with the men, but couldn't recall any other details.

Detectives picked out inconsistencies, including signs that Gutierrez had been dragged through a field, with dirt and grass in her hair and clothes, prompting Gutierrez to start yawning, remarking, ``I need a lawyer,'' ending the police interview, the prosecution said.

Alvarez has documented prior felony and misdemeanor convictions for domestic violence, resisting arrest, assault and violating a restraining order.   

His ex-wife, identified only as ``E.L.,'' divorced him after he choked her into unconsciousness in front of their children, documents stated. The defendant also admitted choking a fellow inmate in their jail cell.