Suspects in 2018 killing of Cathedral City martial arts instructor plead not guilty
Two men suspected in the 2018 fatal shooting of a jiu-jitsu instructor in Cathedral City pleaded not guilty to murder Wednesday.
Troy Walter Edmund, 44, and Kipko Griffin, 48, also denied prosecutors' contention that they lay in wait for the victim, a "special circumstance" allegation that could make the men eligible for the death penalty.
Edmund also pleaded not guilty to two gun charges.
Detectives worked numerous leads in the March 28, 2018, killing of Ramon Diaz. But it wasn't until the department's detective bureau got a lead in June 2023 that they were able to identify Edmund and Griffin as the suspects, according to Investigative Commander Rick Sanchez of the Cathedral City Police Department.
Griffin was arrested last week while Edmund was already behind bars on unrelated charges.
"I want to thank the local police for not giving up on this case. So many people have been needing closure on Professor Diaz's murder," UFC Hall of Famer Cub Swanson wrote on social media last week. "Ramon Diaz was my original (Brazilian jiu-jitsu) instructor and the reason I started (mixed martial arts)."
Sanchez said officers responded at around 9:45 p.m. on the day of Diaz's death to a report of a gunshot victim in the 31-000 block of Whispering Palms Trail. Diaz was found on the scene and succumbed to his injuries as Cathedral City Fire Department personnel were taking him to a hospital.
"Video surveillance from the surrounding area showed the suspect vehicle pulled up to the victim's home, the passenger door opened, and the suspect exited the vehicle and walked towards the victim," Sanchez wrote in a statement. "The suspect is later seen running away from the residence towards the awaiting suspect vehicle that was parked at the intersection."
The vehicle then sped away from the scene, according to Sanchez.
After detectives developed their suspects years later, the Riverside County Gang Impact Team executed a search warrant at Griffin's residence July 25 and took him into custody without incident, according to Sanchez.
He was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, where Edmund was already in custody, according to inmate records. They both remain held without bail.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Suspects in 2018 in killing of Jiu-Jitsu instructor plead not guilty
