Police in California last week arrested a pastor and a man he allegedly hired to kill his daughter’s boyfriend last fall.
Samuel Pasillas, the 47-year-old pastor of a Spanish-language church in Victorville, has been charged with solicitation for murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and assault with a deadly weapon, Riverside police said. Juan Manuel Cebreros, 55, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and assault with a deadly weapon.
Both men are being held bonds of $1 million each.
Police indicated there were more suspects in the case but said no other information would be released.
The incident took place on October 21, 2023, when officers were called to a Riverside hospital after a man arrived with gunshot wounds. He told them he was driving in the Orangecrest neighborhood at about 7 p.m. when another vehicle pulled up alongside him, and someone inside opened fire.
The man was struck several times and drove himself to the hospital. Meanwhile, police found evidence of a shooting at the spot where the man said he was shot.
Investigators said they learned that the shooting was a murder-for-hire, although they did not explain what evidence led them to that conclusion. They said that Casillas “met with the men he hired and provided them information about the victim, including his location on the evening of the shooting.” He allegedly paid them almost $40,000 to kill the victim, and they conducted surveillance on him in the weeks prior to the shooting.
Police did not say why Casillas wanted his daughter’s boyfriend dead.
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[Featured image: Samuel Pasillas and Juan Manuel Cebreros/Riverside Police Department]
