HEMET: Hemet resident charged with Jan 6 murder of his sister

HEMET – Hemet police officials announced the Friday, Jan. 13 arrest of a suspect accused of murdering his sister one week earlier. The deadly shooting happened Friday Jan. 6, in the 300 block of N. Franklin Street near E. Devonshire Avenue in Hemet.

The victim was later identified by coroner’s officials as Josefina Esqueda, 24, of Hemet.

Josefina died from a single gunshot wound to the head, after her nearly lifeless body was dropped off in front of the Hemet Valley Medical Center after the Jan. 6 shooting, according to Hemet Police Lieutenant Eddie Pust.

Based on the severity of her injuries, Josefina was immediately transferred to the trauma center at Riverside University Health System in Moreno Valley, where she was placed on life support.

Josefina remained on life support in critical condition for several days. She eventually succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead by hospital staff Monday, Jan. 9.

After a thorough investigation, Hemet police officials – with assistance from the Riverside County Gang Impact Team – tracked down and apprehended Josefina’s brother, identified as Alfredo Esqueda, 26, of Hemet. He was located in the 16000 block of Maplegrove Street in the City of La Puente.

Based on their investigation, authorities arrested Esqueda for the murder of his sister. He was later booked into the Southwest Detention Center on suspicion of murder.

The investigation into Josefina’s murder began Friday, Jan. 6, when City of Hemet emergency dispatchers received a call from Hemet Valley Medical Center about 5:46 p.m., Pust explained. The caller told emergency dispatchers that an unresponsive, adult female gunshot victim had just been dropped off in front of the emergency room.

When officers arrived at the hospital, they learned the individuals who dropped the victim off had fled the scene before their arrival.

During their investigation, Hemet police officers and investigators identified Josefina as the victim who had been shot in the head.

Officers also determined that the deadly shooting happened at the Franklin Street residence in Hemet. Police officials secured the home as a crime scene and continued their investigation; documenting, photographing, and collecting evidence related to the deadly shooting.

As their investigation continued, officials gathered evidence and information indicating that Alfredo Esqueda, the victim’s brother, had shot his sister in the head, according to Pust.

Officials eventually tracked Esqueda to La Puente, where they apprehended him Friday, Jan. 13, about 10 a.m. Authorities subsequently served a search warrant at a second La Puente residence, in the 16000 block of Holton Street.

Authorities have not released a motive for the fatal shooting and Pust explained, “No further information about this case will be released at this time.”

An online jail records search revealed Esqueda is being held in lieu of $1 million dollars bail and he is scheduled to be arraigned at an unspecified court Jan. 19.

Anyone with further information about this case is encouraged to contact Hemet Police Detective Gonzalo Alvarez at (951) 765-2426. Callers can refer to incident file number 17-197 and can remain anonymous.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.