The Riverside County Sheriff's Department has identified a Coachella man as a suspect in a Thermal homicide case dating back to July of 2020. In a recent update, Sgt. Ben Ramirez named the suspect as 34-year-old Ruben Esquivel and said he was already in custody on an unrelated homicide.
The Riverside County District Attorney's Office added new charges of murder, arson and use of a gun in the commission of a felony after identifying Esquivel in the Thermal case on Tuesday, July 11, Ramirez said in a news release.
"Esquivel is currently in custody on an unrelated homicide," Ramirez said in the update. "Today, new charges of murder, arson and use of a gun in the commission of a felony were filed by the Riverside County District Attorney's Office."
Through the course of the Central Homicide Unit's investigation, Esquivel was identified as the suspect involved in a vehicle fire incident that took place on July 18, 2020, Ramirez said. Deputies from the Thermal Sheriff Station and Cal Fire personnel, he said, were dispatched to the location of the vehicle fire at Pierce Street, south of Airport Boulevard.
Upon extinguishing the vehicle, Cal Fire personnel discovered a deceased individual inside. A few days later, on July 20, the Coroner's Office found evidence of "homicidal violence" in an autopsy. Then, a week later, the Coroner's Office used dental records to identify the victim as Luis Pinedo, 23, of Mecca, the news release said.
Palm Desert Patch reports Esquivel is awaiting trial for a murder case involving the Feb. 21, 2020, shooting of a 42-year-old man from Indio. After his arrest on July 24, 2020, bail was set at $1 million, and he remains lodged at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside.
A specific date for the arraignment related to the Thermal murder case in July 2020 has yet to be scheduled, the Palm Desert Patch reported. But Esquivel is due to appear in court on Thursday, July 13, in relation to the Indio homicide that occurred in February 2020. According to court records cited in the article, Esquivel has previous felony convictions documented in Riverside County, such as attempted carjacking and parole violations.