In a murder investigation that had been going on for 18 years but had been unable to be solved owing to a lack of leads, multiple arrests have been made.
On Monday, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department made the announcement that five individuals had been identified and detained in connection with the murder of Andres Valdes, which occurred in Mead Valley on June 13, 2007.
Within the hamlet that is situated in the western part of Riverside County, Valdes, who was 51 years old, was shot many times inside a residence that was located on the 19000 block of Mariposa Avenue.
Deputy sheriffs from the Perris station of the Sheriff’s Department came to the residence on that particular evening after receiving allegations of shots fired during what could have been a home invasion robbery operation.
Deputy sheriffs were able to locate Valdes at the location, and paramedics confirmed that he had passed away. Additional victims were discovered within the residence, including a number of individuals who had been assaulted and had sustained very minor injuries.
Investigators were told by witnesses that a number of males wearing masks entered the home with the intention of committing a robbery. Valdes engaged in combat with the perpetrators of the attack, which resulted in at least one of them shooting and killing him.
As a result of a lack of leads or evidence, the investigation was taken over by the Central Homicide Unit of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office; nonetheless, the inquiry finally became under investigation without any arrests being made.
Earlier in the year, a fresh group of investigators conducted an investigation and made the decision to reopen the case.
According to a press release issued by the Sheriff’s Department, “over the course of the past few months, multiple suspects have been identified as being involved in the murder and robbery.”
Five people were subsequently taken into custody, two of whom continue to reside within a short driving distance of the location where Valdes was murdered.
Kenneth Tucker, 37, of Riverside; Deshawn Hill, 36, of Riverside; Dennis Haynes, 37, of Phoenix; Kenneth Haynes, 37, of Phoenix; and Keith Crutchfield, 37, of Killeen, Texas are the five individuals who have been identified as suspects in this case.
In Riverside, Hill was taken into custody on July 5 and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Centre. Tucker, on the other hand, was taken into custody the next day in Riverside and booked into the Cois Byrd Detention Centre in Murrieta. Both of these arrests taken place in Riverside.
The remaining three were taken into custody in the states of Arizona and Texas between the 14th and 21st of July.
It has been announced by the authorities that all three individuals who were detained outside of the state will be brought to Riverside County to face prosecution.
As a result of the killing of Andres Valdes, the Sheriff’s Department has stated that all five individuals could be charged with murder.
This investigation is still ongoing, and anyone who may have information is urged to get in touch with investigators Darryl Robertson or Andrew Lucifora of the RSD Central Homicide Unit by calling 951-955-2777.
