Judge in missing couple case orders trial after days of testimony about the murders
A judge in Riverside has determined that there is enough evidence to move forward with a trial for defendants in the cases of the murders of Audrey Moran and Jonathan Reynoso.
Four of the suspects charged in the case, Aaron Fernando Bernal, Manuel Rios, Abraham Fregoso, and Adilene Ines Castaneda, will now continue to trial.
Count 4, Accessory After the Fact, was dropped for Bernal, Fregoso and Castaneda in Thursday morning's decision.
The case against these four defendants will continue on March 17 with an information arraignment.
The trial is expected to begin before the end of May.
Stay with News Channel 3 for updates.
On Wednesday, the preliminary hearing finished a third day for six suspects involved in the murder of a Coachella Valley.
Three witness testified on Wednesday, including Jesus Ruiz Jr., who has pleaded guilty in the case and two Riverside County Sheriff's Investigators. This brings the number of witnesses to testify to 10.
Investigator Carlos Mendoza, took the stand and described past conversations with one of the suspects, Abraham Fregoso, and Fregoso's cousin, Miguel Cavasos.
Mendoza was part of a Perkin's Operation, in which California officers impersonate prisoners to obtain evidence and confessions.
In his findings, Mendoza said that there was drug deal that had gone bad between Jonathan Reynoso and the suspects, Rios and Fregoso.
He said Rios wanted to "teach Reynoso a lesson" in the botched drug deal and struck him. Rios reportedly intended to beat Reynoso up, but not kill him. However, that strike ultimately ended Reynoso’s life.
Mendoza believes Audrey Moran was there when Reynoso was hit, and that she said she would go to police. That’s when Fregoso had allegedly strangled Moran and snapped her neck. Mendoza said it was because they were afraid law enforcement would find out.
Rios, who goes by the nickname of “Panda”, was said to have disposed the bodies afterwards.
Mendoza: So Mr. Cavazos stated that he assisted in disposing of the bodies of Jonathan and Audrey.
DDA: And did he indicate how it was that he disposed?
Mendoza: Yes, he stated that a subject that he identified as "Panda," he drives an orange Hummer, had chopped the body into pieces. It was subsequently placed inside of black container. I'm sorry, not black, he did not specify the color, inside of plastic containers and then buried in the backyard.
- Courtroom Testimony
Mendoza said the bodies were relocated at least once after they were buried in Fregoso's backyard, but it’s still unclear as to where and when.
On Tuesday, 5 witnesses took the stand including 3 Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies, 1 person from Cal Fire, and Ruiz Jr., who has already pled guilty in the case.
Ruiz Jr. described what he remembered back in 2017. He lived at a house with one of the suspects, Abraham Fregoso, at the time.
Ruiz Jr. said he was digging a hole for trash in the backyard when Fregoso told him to make it bigger. Cement was later poured into that hole. Up to a week later, Ruiz Jr. said Fregoso and suspect Manuel Rios told him ”there was an accident."
That hole was dug up at a later date- the witness described what he discovered.
DDA: Other than cement, did you see anything else while you were digging out the hole?
Ruiz Jr.: 1 or 2 body parts in the cement
DDA: Okay, that’s what I’m getting at. You said that “I saw 1 or 2 body parts”. Can you describe for us what it was that you saw?
Ruiz Jr.: I don’t know what… what. Could've been bones. I think it was probably bones. 2 bones in there.
DDA: Okay, so you say you saw body parts. You remember seeing bones?
Ruiz Jr.: Bones, yeah.
Ruiz Jr. also said another suspect, Adilene Ines Castaneda, told him there was a drug deal that had gone bad.
It was unclear if Jonathan Reynoso and Audrey Moran were involved. But the witness said Castaneda told him she gave Reynoso CPR at some point and that someone had choked Moran.
DDA: What did Adilene Casteneda tell you about that evening?
Ruiz Jr.: That something happened at the house and she ended up giving him CPR.
DDA: Okay, when you say she end up giving.. Who?
Ruiz Jr.: Adilene ended up giving Jonathan (Reynoso) CPR. And then when he left the house, I guess it was at Aaron’s (Bernal) house where he passed away.”
3 witnesses took the stand on Monday, bringing the total to 8 witnesses who have testified in the preliminary hearing.
Monday's witnesses include Riverside County Sheriff's deputies, Indio Police, Cal Fire, a former roommate, Marissa Montoya, who lived in a home with Bernal in 2017 and a person who has pled guilty in the case.
The roommate said Bernal and Audrey Moran were seeing each other at the time May of 2017.
During the hearing on Monday, the roommate recalled the last time she saw Moran.
"DDA: Do you recall whether or not Audrey Moran had been over at the house around May 9th of 2017?
Marissa Montoya: I don’t know the exact date, but I do knew she was at the house the day before she went missing."
Preliminary hearing underway in murder of Coachella Valley couple, Jonathan Reynoso & Audrey Moran @KESQ (a thread) pic.twitter.com/02yRbSVCGh
— Samantha Lomibao KESQ (@samanthaKESQ) March 1, 2022
Background:
Jonathan Reynoso and Audrey Moran disappeared in 2017. Three years later, their skeletal remains were identified as them.
The preliminary hearing was delayed on Monday for a few hours to wait for one of the suspects to be transported.
Four of the defendants are accused in the killings, while two others are accused of being accessories after the fact.
Manuel Rios, 28, of Coachella is charged with two counts of murder. Fregoso, 32, of Indio; Bernal, 28, of Indio; and Castaneda, 28, of Coachella, are charged with one count each of murder and being an accessory to a crime after the fact.
Two other suspects involved have already pled guilty. Just last week, Eric Rios, 32, pleaded guilty to two counts of being an accessory to a crime after the fact.
Last fall, another person charged in the case pled guilty to his role. On Sept. 10, Jesus Ruiz Jr. pleaded guilty to two counts of wilfully and unlawfully having knowledge of the murders of Reynoso and Moran as well as harboring and concealing two of the suspects, Manuel Rios, 28, of Coachella and Abraham Fregoso Jr., 33, of Indio.
Ruiz, 42, of Stockon, was sentenced to two years in prison on Sept. 22, however, he was released due to time served, according to John Hall, public information officer for the Riverside County District Attorney's office.
The couple's disappearance prompted family, loved ones, and the community to work for three years to find answers as to what happened.
