WYOMING – Wyoming Highway Patrol got lucky yesterday when a random check of a license plate turned up a suspected killer.
A Highway Patrol trooper on routine patrol Thursday ran a registration check on a vehicle. The registration returned showing the vehicle was connected to a multiple-murder case in Riverside, California.
The trooper called for backup before he made a move. Once support units arrived to assist, thee trooper conducted a traffic stop east of Cheyenne around the Burns exit on Interstate 80. The driver was taken into custody without incident.
The driver is identified as Jose Luis Torres Garcia, 33, of Perris/Mead Valley, California. Garcia is wanted on suspicion of killing three people in Perris Valley Cemetery. The bodies of Jaime Covarrubias Espindola, 50; Jose Maria Aguilar-Espejel, 38; and Rodrigo Aguilar-Espejel, 28 were discovered in the cemetery on February 17.
According to the LA Times, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco believes Garcia acted alone. He asked Wyoming law enforcement to be on the lookout for the Yukon he was driving, warning then that Garcia was to be considered “armed and very dangerous.”
Garcia has reportedly been deported back to Mexico twice already. He’s also wanted for two unrelated misdemeanor cases in Riverside County.
The incident is still under investigation, and any further questions concerning this incident should be directed to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office. The phone number for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office is (951) 776-1099.
