Beaten to death by other inmates, Cathedral City man was facing multiple child molest charges

UPDATED: Thursday, Sept. 10, 12:30 p.m.

See Original Story below.

BANNING, Calif. — Officials have identified a 29-year-old Cathedral City man as the inmate they say was beaten to death by other inmates at Banning’s Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility on Tuesday.

Although authorities have not provided a possible motive for the deadly attack, the inmate, Rosendo Echevarria, was facing multiple charges related to sex crimes against children from a case dating back to 2013.

SEE RELATED UPDATE: 3 RivCo inmates ID’d in beating death of fellow inmate

Online jail records indicate Echevarria had just been transported to Riverside County from Porterville Developmental Center in Porterville, California by court order and was due to appear in court the day after his murder. The Porterville facility houses people with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

Those charges included six felony counts, including three counts of engaging in oral copulation or sexual penetration of a child under 10 years old, two counts of committing lewd acts on a child under 14 years old and one count of engaging in sexual intercourse with a child under 10 years old.

Sheriff’s officials have not made any arrests in Echevarria’s murder and their investigation is continuing.


Original Story: RivCo inmate beaten to death by other inmates say officials

BANNING, Calif. — Authorities are investigating the murder of an inmate who was found beaten to death at a Riverside County jail facility last night, Tuesday, Sept. 8.

No arrests have been made in the inmate’s murder, which happened within a housing unit at Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, according to Sheriff’s officials.

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At 9:34 p.m., deputies assigned to the facility found an adult male inmate “suffering from injuries sustained during an attack by other inmates,” Riverside Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit Sgt. Rick Espinoza has since said of the deadly incident and ongoing investigation.

“Deputies and facility medical staff attempted life saving measures but ultimately determined the male was deceased,” said Espinoza.

Members of the Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit responded to the facility late last night and have assumed the investigation, which is active and ongoing according to Espinoza; who did not specify what charges the man had been booked into jail on, where the inmate was from, or how long he had been in custody.

The deceased inmate’s name has not yet been released, pending notification of the man’s family and no further details have been released.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact Central Homicide Investigator Munoz at (951) 235-9833 or (760) 770-2452. Callers can refer to incident file number BC202520003 and can remain anonymous.

This is a developing story that will be updated as new information becomes available.

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 48, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor 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, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.