Sheriff: 3 men found dead at CA. cemetery were killed there

Sheriff: 3 men found dead at cemetery were killed there

FEB. 18, 2020 5:42 PM

PERRIS, Calif. —Three men found dead this week in a Southern California cemetery were killed near the grave of a man who died in Mexico, authorities said Tuesday.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said detectives were looking into whether the location of the homicides was meant to send a message and whether a cartel or a gang was involved, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reported.

“All three were killed there at the same time,” Bianco said at a news conference.

The bodies were found Monday in the grass at the Perris Valley Cemetery east of Los Angeles. The causes of death were not immediately released.

While a motive hasn’t been determined, Bianco said the men appear to have been killed execution-style.

“It certainly seems that way,” he said.
While they were found Monday, it’s not clear when the men were killed.

Bianco said detectives were looking at security camera footage to try and pinpoint how the men got to the cemetery.

Officials did not say who the grave belonged to, or whether a relationship existed between that person and the recent victims.

Detectives from Riverside have been in contact with Mexican authorities, the sheriff said.

Authorities know the names of the victims, who were Hispanic, but have not released them pending notification of their family members, the newspaper said.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com...e-killed-there

3 men were found dead near a cemetery in California. Sheriff says it 'was a message'

By Madeline Holcombe and Sarah Moon, CNN
Updated 12:00 PM ET, Wed February 19, 2020

(CNN)The bodies of three men found dead near a cemetery in Southern California have been identified, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said.

They were positively identified as Jaime Covarrubias Espindola, 50, Jose Maria Aguilar-Espejel, 38, and Rodrigo Aguilar-Espejel, 28, the sheriff's department said in a tweet on Tuesday.

All three were residents of the city of Perris, Sheriff Chad Bianco said in a news conference Tuesday.

The men are all believed to have been killed at the Perris Valley Cemetery, and police are looking into reports that the deaths might be gang or cartel related, Bianco said.

"Three people killed at the same time, that was a message for something," Bianco said. "It's certainly not the norm." The sheriff did not say how the men were killed, but said police are looking into why the men were there and who was with them.

The investigation is still ongoing.

https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/asse...m-plus-169.jpg
Three men were found dead at the Perris Valley Cemetery Monday.

Riverside County Sheriff's deputies responded to a report of three unresponsive males on the ground at the cemetery Monday. When they arrived, they found the deceased men, according to an earlier news release.

The incident appears to be isolated, Bianco said.
"This is not a matter of public safety," Bianco said. "The concern specifically over social media was that we are having a rash of homicides in Perris and that they are somehow related and I am here to tell you they are not."

"To dispel any rumors, we do not have a serial killer on the loose," he said.

Bianco did address a recent increase in crime in Perris.
"It's no secret that crimes with drugs are going up.

Across the state, crimes involving drugs and gangs are going up and it's completely related to the horrible laws that are being passed and the horrible propositions that were voted in and now we're suffering the consequences for that," Bianco said.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/19/us/ri...ery/index.html

Police search for man after 3 bodies found in California

https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/d...404d5c9ef0e70e]
This wanted poster provided by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department shows Jose Luis Torres Garcia. Authorities are seeking Garcia who is considered “armed and very dangerous” and is believed to have killed three men and left their bodies in a Southern California cemetery, the Riverside County sheriff said Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020. Sheriff Chad Bianco said at a news conference there is a felony warrant out for the arrest of Garcia, with $3 million bail. Bianco did not say how the men were killed. (Riverside County Sheriff’s Department via AP)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)


FEB. 20, 2020 5:30 PM

PERRIS, Calif. — Authorities are seeking an “armed and very dangerous” man who is believed to have killed three men and left their bodies in a Southern California cemetery, the Riverside County sheriff said Thursday.

The three men — Perris residents Jaime Covarrubias Espindola, 50; Jose Maria Aguilar-Espejel, 38 and Rodrigo Aguilar-Espejel, 28 — were killed at the same time. Their bodies were found Monday in the grass at the Perris Valley Cemetery east of Los Angeles.

Sheriff Chad Bianco said at a news conference there is a felony warrant out for the arrest of Jose Luis Torres Garcia, 33, with $3 million bail. Bianco did not say how the men were killed.
“We do not know his motive,” Bianco said.

The sheriff said Garcia acted alone and he knew the three victims. They were discovered in a cemetery near the grave of a man who died in Mexico.

Officials have not said who the grave belonged to, or whether a relationship existed between that person and the recent victims.

“We don’t believe this was a random killing,” Bianco said. “A regular, normal resident of Perris should not have anything to be afraid of.”

The sheriff said Garcia has ties to San Jose, California, and Mexico. He has been deported twice. But authorities have not yet determined his current immigration status. There are already two misdemeanor warrants out for his arrest regarding other cases.

He is also known as Jose Torres Garcia, Jose Luis Torres, Ismael Garcia and Ismael Garcia Gutierrez.

Bianco said he is believed to be driving a 2001 GMC Yukon SUV or a motorcycle street bike that is possibly a green Kawasaki.


Bianco has said detectives were looking into whether the location of the homicides was meant to send a message and whether a cartel or a gang was involved. But on Thursday he said no links to a cartel have been established.

Detectives have reviewed surveillance camera footage throughout the city and interviewed people who knew the men.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com...-in-california