Pair to stand trial for alleged Palm Springs shooting that killed man, wounded others
City News Service
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – Two men accused of killing a man and wounding two others in an attack in Palm Springs must stand trial for murder and other charges, a judge ruled today.
Anastascio Jesus Machuca, 23, and Antonio Marins, 24, were arrested in 2022 following the alleged shooting in the area of East Ramon Road and Highway 111.
Following a preliminary hearing at the Larson Justice Center in Indio Monday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge James Hawkins found there was sufficient evidence to bound both defendants over for trial on the first-degree murder count, as well as two counts of attempted murder and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
Marins was additionally held to answer for firing a gun from a vehicle.
The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for June 4. Each man is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.
According to the Palm Springs Police Department, shortly after 2 a.m. on Oct. 30, 2022, Machuca and Marins were in the 5600 block of Ramon when they allegedly got into an unspecified dispute with the three victims, whose identities were not disclosed.
Investigators said the confrontation quickly turned physical, at which point Machuca allegedly opened fire with a handgun, followed by Marins, who police said discharged multiple rounds as he sped away, trailing Machuca in a separate car.
All three young men in the line of fire were hit. One died at the scene, the other two were treated at a regional trauma center, ultimately recovering.
The defendants were almost immediately identified as the alleged assailants. Sheriff’s deputies located Marins in Palm Desert hours later, taking him into custody without incident.
Detectives tracked Machuca down in Mecca, where he was arrested uneventfully around the same time.
Neither defendant has documented prior felony convictions.