An 18-year-old man and 16-year-old teen were suspected in the murder of two teens last year, but their identities were not going to be released due to their age at the time of the killings, authorities said Thursday.
The victims — a 16-year-old boy and 17-year-old girl — were fatally shot around 8 p.m. July 20, 2022, while they were inside a vehicle in the 86000 block of Calle Geranio, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Edward Soto told City News Service both teens died at the scene.
A GoFundMe page, created by a family member of one of the victims, identified them as Brandon Anguiano and Jestine Carrillo and stated they were boyfriend and girlfriend. The page raised $8,154 to fund funeral expenses.
“Brandon was loved by so many. At such a young age he impacted the boxing industry. Not only was he seen as a role model by younger kids but also older ones. The dedication and love he put into that sport showed. He was one of the very best at it, and the speed that little boy had was just impressive. I know for sure he would’ve been champion like he always dreamed of,” Anguiano’s sister wrote.
Investigators worked to identify the suspects since the day of the homicide and, earlier this year, were able to identify one of them as the now 18-year-old man from Coachella, according to sheriff department Sgt. Steve Brosche and Sgt. Jesse Martinez.
“However, at the time of the murder, he was a juvenile; therefore, his name will not be released,” Brosche and Martinez wrote in a statement. “This suspect was arrested in February of 2023 and has been in custody since then.”
The Region 1 Gang Task Force assisted homicide investigators as the investigation continued and were able to identify the second suspect as a 16-year-old boy, also from the Coachella area, according to Brosche and Martinez. He was arrested Tuesday near the intersection of Harrison Street and 55th Avenue and booked into Juvenile Hall on suspicion of murder.
Anyone with information about the crime was asked to call investigator Juarez with the Central Homicide Unit at 951-955-2777 or Investigator Glasper from the Thermal Station at 760-863-8990.