Man guilty of murder in 2020 shooting near Indio; prosecutor says it was over ‘disrespect’
A Coachella man was convicted Thursday of murdering a 42-year-old man near Indio more than three years ago. A prosecutor said the victim was killed simply for telling someone to leave his home.
Vincent “Chente” Aispuro died Feb. 21, 2020.
A jury found Ruben Corria Esquivel Jr., 34, guilty of murder and gun charges, including illegally possessing a firearm while being a felon and narcotic addict. Jurors deliberated for less than a day before reaching their verdict.
A sentencing date will be set Monday, said Brooke Beare, a spokesperson for the Riverside County district attorney.
Aispuro was killed in his house in the 47600 block of Van Buren Street, an unincorporated area between Indio and Coachella.
Deputy District Attorney Samantha Paixao told jurors it was a drug house. She said Esquivel and Martha Perez Espinoza, 43, also of Coachella came to the house but Aispuro told them to leave.
“When they come to the residence, Chente tells them they've gotta go. And just because of that, because someone told him they have to leave, Ruben Esquivel lifted up immediately a gun from his waistband and shot Chente right in the chest area,” Paixao said. “One shot and Chente was gone forever simply because (Esquivel) was told he had to leave, and he didn't like that kind of disrespect.”
Paixao said a different man, Rodolfo Diaz, was initially identified as the murder suspect by a witness, though an investigation showed that there was no link between him and the murder.
Esquivel's defense attorney Shaun Sullivan Sullivan told jurors that the murder took place in an area of theCoachella Valley that is full of “desperate” and “unreliable” people whose testimony against Esquivel should not be believed.
Sullivan noted the fact a man besides his client was initially suspected in the killing and told jurors there's no clear evidence of who killed Aispuro or why.
Months into the investigation, Sullivan said, the witness who initially identified Diaz as the shooter told law enforcement it was actually Esquivel.
Sheriff's deputies arrested Esquivel on July 24, 2020, in the 88000 block of Avenue 70, near Mecca, where he holed up for several hours before surrendering.
Esquivel has documented felony convictions in Riverside County that include attempted carjacking and multiple parole violations, court records show.
Espinoza pleaded guilty in 2020 to being an accessory after the fact for her part in the shooting and was sentenced to 18 months in jail and 18 months of mandatory supervision upon her release.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Man guilty of murder in ‘disrespect’ shooting near Indio
