Four suspects are in police custody in connection with a homicide and home invasion last year in Riverside, authorities said Friday.
The arrests came after a nearly yearlong investigation of the killing of 24-year-old Benjamin Chanes of Riverside, who authorities say was fatally shot after he and his girlfriend were victims of a home invasion on March 6, 2022. That day, Riverside Police Department officers responded to a reported shooting at an apartment complex located in the 2400 block of Iowa Avenue in Riverside and upon their arrival they found Chanes suffering from a gunshot wound to his back.
Chanes was taken to a hospital but died shortly thereafter, said Riverside Police Department Officer Ryan J. Railsback.
During the course of their investigation detectives from the department’s Robbery Homicide Unit and specialists from the forensics unit learned Chanes and his girlfriend were driving in the Riverside area when they stopped and were approached by four suspects at gunpoint. The suspects kidnapped both victims and forced them back to their apartment, where they were robbed. At some point during the home invasion robbery, one of the suspects shot at Chanes and the suspects then drove away from the scene in the victims’ vehicle, which was eventually recovered in San Bernardino, authorities said.
Chanes’ girlfriend was not harmed during the shooting and kidnapping.
Detectives followed up on several leads over the course of several months, located and reviewed surveillance video and were ultimately able to identify all four suspects involved in the case. In September 2022, they located and arrested two of the four suspects.
Trezell Lamone Heckard of Vallejo, 28, was the last suspect arrested. He was found in Contra Costa County and he was transferred and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center, Railsback said.
Kahlin Cynque Erwin of Pittsburg, Calif., 28., was located and arrested in Carson County, Texas, and was recently extradited back to California and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center.
Qevon Xavier Harvey, 25, of Desert Hot Springs, was found in the desert area and arrested, then booked into the John Benoit Detention Center.
Anthony Wright of Indio, 30, was found to be in custody in San Bernardino County on robbery and kidnapping charges related to an investigation being conducted by the Rialto Police Department. He was transferred and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center, said Railsback.