Father of four killed by man shooting at cars in Riverside County - Los Angeles Times
Advertisement

Father of four killed by man shooting at passing cars in Riverside County, authorities say

Booking photo of Julio Cesar Rodarte.
Julio Cesar Rodarte, 39, of San Jacinto was arrested in the shootings.
(Riverside County Sheriff’s Department)
Share via

A 39-year-old man was arrested Monday morning for allegedly firing randomly at passing cars in Riverside County, killing a husband and father of four, authorities said.

Deputies from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department responded at 7:05 a.m. to the area of West Seventh Street and South San Jacinto Avenue to a report of a man shooting at passing vehicles, according to a sheriff’s department news release.

Two people were found shot and multiple cars had been hit by gunfire; both victims were hospitalized and one died from his injuries, according to authorities.

Advertisement

Julio Cesar Rodarte, a 39-year-old San Jacinto resident, was arrested and booked into Larry Smith Correctional Facility on one count of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder charges, officials said. There are no outstanding suspects in the investigation.

Riverside police arrested a pastor in an alleged murder-for-hire plot, accusing him of paying $40,000 to have the man dating his daughter killed.

March 19, 2024

The deceased man was identified as Victor Hugo Leon, 42, of San Jacinto, according to investigators.

Leon and his wife, Griselda Zepeda, had been married 13 years and had four children, she told KTLA.

Advertisement

Leon worked in a warehouse in Moreno Valley and was supposed to return Monday morning but when Zepeda woke up, he still wasn’t home. That’s when she knew something had gone terribly wrong.

“He was a very lovable person,” she said. “He leaves us very broken. He had that mean face, but he was such a sweetheart, always doing his best for his family.”

Advertisement