A young man accused of fatally beating a 78-year-old Riverside woman during a home invasion robbery was charged Thursday with murder.
Sixto Jesus Garcia Pena, 19, of Palm Springs was taken into custody Wednesday and booked into the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside, where he’s being held without bail.
Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin said that, in addition to the murder count, Pena faced special circumstance allegations of killing in the commission of a robbery, killing in the commission of a burglary and inflicting torture. He’s expected to make his initial court appearance Tuesday at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Pena was located at the Imperial County Jail, where he was awaiting adjudication of an unrelated attempted vehicle theft case. Riverside police detectives served an arrest warrant, transferring him to the downtown Riverside detention center.
Pena allegedly killed Denise Irene Wong in her single-story home in the 1200 block of East Manfield Street, near Masters Avenue, on Jan. 6.
“Denise was a loving mother, grandmother, sister, friend and a good and kind person,” Riverside police Chief Larry Gonzalez said. “A 50-year resident of Riverside, she also loved her city and her community. We are shocked and heartbroken over her passing. But we will always remember her warmth, generosity and smile. We take heart in knowing she lived a life filled with love, faith and devotion to her family.”
Patrol officers were called to the victim’s home that evening after her loved ones requested a welfare check when Wong didn’t respond to phone calls. She was found dead from injuries inflicted a few hours earlier, Riverside police Officer Ryan Railsback said.
He said Pena allegedly accessed the residence by breaking out a rear window and made his getaway in the victim’s car.
“Officers observed some items … out of place and consistent with a burglary,” the officer said.
Detectives confirmed the stolen vehicle was involved in a hit-and-run collision in Indio a few hours after the break-in, according to Railsback. Indio police impounded the abandoned car, from which homicide investigators collected evidence that helped identify Pena as the suspect, Railsback said.
Three days later, they confirmed Pena had been arrested in Imperial County, and arrangements were made for the transfer.
Hestrin credited county Gang Impact Team investigators with playing a pivotal part in identifying Pena.
“We are proud of the great work that our team does and how quickly they were able to determine the whereabouts of the suspect wanted in this horrific murder,” he said. “While the team has a primary mission of working major cases involving criminal street gangs, they also can be used to track down wanted suspects, particularly murder suspects.”