Prosecution states man accused of killing 93-year-old woman tried to hide his identity

UPDATE 4/16/2025:

INDIO (CNS) - A pool serviceman accused of fatally beating a 93-year-old Palm Desert woman during a robbery took steps to prevent forensic evidence from surfacing that might link him to the crime, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

Benjamin Cabrera Briones, 62, of Thousand Palms is charged with first-degree murder, burglary, forgery and special circumstance allegations of killing in the course of a robbery and murder for financial gain in the 2021 death of Jean Grace Willrich.

In her opening statement at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Hawlee Valente told jurors that Briones attempted to keep from getting caught after Willrich's death.

Valente said Briones wore latex gloves in the hours following the murder, including when he deposited the victim's check at an ATM outside an Albertson's supermarket in Palm Desert. The gloves were ``found in his work truck, marked with his company logo, Briones' Pools,'' the prosecutor said.

She said that after a search warrant was executed at the defendant's residence, shoes, pants and other items of evidentiary value were seized. A notepad bearing names and addresses was also located, and ``Willrich's name and address were the only ones crossed out,'' the deputy district attorney said.

Briones' deputy public defender elected not to make an opening statement.

ORIGINAL REPORT 4/15/2025:

INDIO (CNS) - Opening statements are slated tomorrow in the trial of a pool serviceman accused of fatally beating a 93-year-old Palm Desert woman during a robbery.

Benjamin Cabrera Briones, 62, of Thousand Palms is charged with first-degree murder, burglary, forgery and special circumstance allegations of killing in the course of a robbery and murder for financial gain in the 2021 death of Jean Grace Willrich.

A jury was seated for the trial at the end of last week, and Riverside County Superior Court Judge Anthony Villalobos directed jurors to return to the Larson Justice Center in Indio on Wednesday for opening arguments by the prosecution and defense.

Briones is being held without bail at the Benoit Detention Center. If he's convicted, the defendant faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.

During a 2023 preliminary hearing, sheriff's investigators established that Briones, an independent pool cleaner and handyman, had worked for Willrich, but she terminated his contract several years earlier over a disagreement about his compensation.

On the afternoon of Nov. 29, 2021, the defendant went to Willrich's property in the 77000 block of Michigan Drive, ostensibly to see if he could repair one of her toilets.

Sheriff's Investigator Gustavo Castaneda alleged that detectives later learned from interviews with Briones that he never intended to provide a service, but rather wanted to commit theft.

"Mr. Briones stated Ms. Willrich let him in and eventually, when he started looking around, a confrontation started, and that's when he proceeded to assault Ms. Willrich,'' Castaneda testified during the preliminary hearing. "Mr. Briones explained to us how he punched her, choked her and eventually got on top of her. He continued to punch her, hit her with both open and closed fists because she wouldn't stop screaming. When she stopped moving, he got up, grabbed (her) checks and left."

When the victim's regular pool man showed up the following day, he noticed things askew, including windows with blinds wide open and a hose running, causing an overflow on the east side of the house. He became concerned and attempted to make contact with Willrich, and when he couldn't, he notified authorities.   

Deputies conducted a welfare check at the home, locating the victim dead inside, exhibiting obvious signs of trauma.   

Detectives soon confirmed that property had been taken, and that one of Willrich's checks had been deposited at an ATM outside an Albertson's grocery in Palm Desert, according to sheriff's officials.

Security surveillance video images were examined, and authorities identified Briones as the person who cashed the check, Castaneda alleged. He said that security videotape from homes around the victim's property showed that the defendant had parked there, gone inside and returned to his pickup a short time later on Nov. 29.   

Briones was arrested without incident on Dec. 3, 2021, during a traffic stop near Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra drives in Rancho Mirage.   

He has no documented prior felony convictions recorded in Riverside County.