A 48-year-old man accused of gunning down an acquaintance and burying his remains just south of Interstate 10 in Cabazon was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder and other offenses.
Jesse Bruce Kennedy of Cabazon was arrested Saturday following a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the death of Cristian Valenzuela Nieto.
Along with murder, Kennedy is charged with a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
The defendant made his initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon before Superior Court Judge Timothy Kams, who appointed him a public defender and scheduled his formal arraignment for Sept. 3 at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.
Kennedy is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Carlos Mendoza, detectives working a suspicious circumstance investigation that was initiated after Nieto vanished developed leads Saturday indicating his body was located near a residence in the area of Poplar Street and William Avenue, less than a quarter-mile from eastbound I-10.
Further investigation led to recovery of the remains.
It was unclear exactly where the victim was fatally shot, though court documents indicated he perished on Aug. 11. Mendoza did not specify a possible motive.
He said Kennedy was immediately identified as the alleged perpetrator and taken into custody without incident in a parking lot not far from where detectives found the remains.
Court records indicated Kennedy has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County. However, he has a traffic-related conviction from the summer of 2021.