Five Men Taken Into Custody in Southern California Murder-for-Hire Plot
Authorities have suggested that the tragic shooting could have been triggered by the couple’s approaching divorce, according to police reports.
Five individuals have been taken into custody, including the husband of a woman who was shot outside a restaurant in broad daylight, in what law enforcement describes as a murder-for-hire scheme aimed at killing Yesenia Torres, aged 44, the San Bernardino Police Department disclosed on February 18.
“Today signifies the end of a nearly month-long investigation that led to the death of Yesenia Torres, who was affectionately called Yessica Torres by her loved ones,” stated Police Chief Darren Goodman on Tuesday.
Investigators believe that the motive for Torres’s murder stemmed from her impending divorce from her husband, Sergio Reveles, 53.
A video released by police on Tuesday shows Torres exiting a San Bernardino restaurant on January 10, as she attempts to enter her Mercedes SUV when another SUV parks behind her. A man disembarks from the vehicle, approaches her, and steals her purse, subsequently brandishing a gun.
What seemed to be a robbery swiftly escalated, resulting in the assailant firing several shots at Torres as she attempted to escape.
The police halted the video before depicting the actual shooting of the victim.
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On January 16, after executing search warrants in both Los Angeles and Bakersfield, authorities apprehended Llamas-Torres and Ruelas. “We discovered evidence linking them to the murder, including a substantial amount of U.S. currency,” the news release detailed.
Further investigations led officers to Reynaldo Ruelas, 37, who is the brother of Arnoldo Ruelas. Law enforcement alleges that Reveles, along with his business partner Juan Perez, 42, utilized Reynaldo as a mediator between themselves and the hired shooters.
On February 6, a series of searches across seven locations, including the residences and business properties of both Reveles and Perez, yielded the seizure of $286,000 in cash along with multiple firearms, authorities reported.
Reveles, arrested on February 14, is currently being held at the West Valley Detention Center in San Bernardino County, approximately 45 miles east of Los Angeles, according to inmate records.
Detectives discovered that the motive for the murder was purportedly linked to the divorce, which had been discussed for over a year, police stated.
The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office has charged all five individuals with first-degree murder.
Additionally, prosecutors have filed three special circumstances against all defendants, including robbery, pursuit of financial gain, and premeditation, all of which could elevate the severity of their sentences if convicted.
The San Bernardino Police Department recovered firearms and cash during their investigation into the murder-for-hire plot announced on February 18, 2025. San Bernardino Police Department
Detective Dominick Martinez mentioned that police were able to secure “valuable surveillance footage” from locations spanning the victim’s home, workplace, and the site of the shooting.
“The divorce process has been ongoing for around two years,” Martinez noted.
