Police say they have arrested five men in connection with the murder for hire of a California businesswoman last month.
San Bernardino Police said one of the five suspects was 44-year-old Yesenia “Jessica” Torres’s husband, KABC reported.
San Bernardino Police Chief Darren Goodman said surveillance video showed a gunman approaching Torres on January 10 as she walked out of a restaurant, then chasing her around her car before gunning her down in broad daylight.
Initially, police thought it was a robbery, but soon learned otherwise.
“These criminals targeted this victim, in a murder-for-hire scheme that was stemming from a contentious divorce,” Goodman said.
Police said they had identified two suspects within four hours of the shooting. Initially, they said, they thought it was a robbery.
“Jessica was a businesswoman in our community,” said Goodman. “She was well known and well respected in our community; she was very civically engaged and supported numerous endeavors throughout our city.”
The gunman was identified as Gerardo Llamas-Torres, 31, and the getaway driver — witnesses provided a license plate number — was identified as Arnoldo Ruelas, 54. They were arrested on January 16.
As investigators sorted through the case, they recovered evidence linking them to the murder, including a large sum of money. Then they learned that Reulas’ brother, 37-year-old Reynaldo Ruelas, worked at a property owned by Torres and her estranged husband, 53-year-old Sergio Reveles. Reynaldo Ruelas served as an intermediary between Reveles and his business partner, Juan Perez, 42, who were arrested on February 6.
At that time, investigators seized nearly $300,000 in cash and multiple firearms.
Police have not released details of how the murder for hire scheme played out, but they said the suspects had been working on the plan for more than a year.
All five suspects have been charged with murder with special circumstances for robbery, financial gain, and lying in wait. They all pleaded not guilty and were ordered held without bail.
Their next hearing is set for March 14.
