At the request of the defense, trial proceedings were postponed Monday for a felon accused of killing a 27-year-old Hemet man and dumping his remains near Perris.
Ricardo Pardo, 41, of Perris allegedly gunned down Joshua Crosier more than three years ago.
Pardo is charged with first-degree murder and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
For the last week, the case has been awaiting assignment to a courtroom at the Riverside Hall of Justice for pretrial motions and jury selection. However, on Monday, the defense notified Riverside County Superior Court Judge Joshlyn Pulliam of the need for additional time to prepare because of unspecified scheduling challenges, prompting her to reset the matter to April 10.
The defendant is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Steve Brosche, Crosier vanished in late August 2021, culminating in a missing person investigation that turned into a homicide investigation when, in April 2022, detectives received information from an undisclosed source indicating the victim had been killed.
The investigative team procured evidence pointing to Pardo as the alleged assailant, and he was arrested on July 28, 2022, Brosche said.
“On Aug. 2, after searching several locations, male remains were located believed to be Crosier’s body,” the sergeant said. “The remains were located in the (unincorporated) county area of Perris.”
A possible motive was not disclosed, nor were any other details regarding the circumstances behind the deadly shooting.
Court records show Pardo has prior convictions for receiving stolen property, illegal possession of a firearm and possession of drug paraphernalia.