Father of four killed by man shooting at passing cars in Riverside County, authorities say
A 39-year-old man was arrested Monday morning for allegedly firing randomly at passing cars in Riverside County, killing a husband and father of four, authorities said.
Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department responded at 7:05 a.m. to the area of West Seventh Street and South San Jacinto Avenue to a report of a man shooting at passing vehicles, according to a sheriff’s department news release.
Two people were found shot and multiple cars had been hit by gunfire; both victims were hospitalized and one died from his injuries, according to authorities.
Julio Cesar Rodarte, a 39-year-old San Jacinto resident, was arrested and booked into Larry Smith Correctional Facility on one count of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder charges, officials said. There are no outstanding suspects in the investigation.
Riverside police arrested a pastor in an alleged murder-for-hire plot, accusing him of paying $40,000 to have the man dating his daughter killed.
The deceased man was identified as Victor Hugo Leon, 42, of San Jacinto, according to investigators.
Leon and his wife, Griselda Zepeda, had been married 13 years and had four children, she told KTLA.
Leon worked in a warehouse in Moreno Valley and was supposed to return Monday morning but when Zepeda woke up, he still wasn’t home. That’s when she knew something had gone terribly wrong.
“He was a very lovable person,” she said. “He leaves us very broken. He had that mean face, but he was such a sweetheart, always doing his best for his family.”
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
