Month: October 2026

INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A man accused of facilitating the fentanyl poisoning of a 22-year-old Rancho Mirage resident failed to make a scheduled court appearance today, prompting a judge to revoke his bail and issue a warrant for his arrest.

Riley Jacob Hagar, 29, of Cathedral City was acquitted in March of murder for the 2022 death of Travis O’Brien. However, jurors deadlocked on whether to convict Hagar of voluntary manslaughter.

The defendant was released from custody after posting a $30,000 bond.

He was due to appear for a retrial status conference at the Larson Justice Center in Indio Friday, but when the case was called, Hagar was nowhere to be found, according to court minutes.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Anthony Villalobos rescinded his bond and signed a bench warrant for his arrest.

Hagar is accused in the death of Travis O’Brien on New Year’s Day 2022.

“Mr. Hagar is the connect. He is the plug,” Deputy District Attorney Steve Sorensen told jurors in March. “Hagar told Travis the date, the location and other information for how to acquire the (fentanyl-packed) pills.”

The prosecutor said O’Brien “went to the person he knew could facilitate (the sale of the drugs)” — Hagar.

Arrangements were made for the victim to procure the fentanyl so that he could sell them to someone else at a profit, according to the prosecution. But in addition to selling the hundreds of M30 “blues,” O’Brien consumed several of the synthetic opiods, investigators alleged.

The young man checked into Room 149 at the Motel 6 in the 69000 block of Highway 111 in Rancho Mirage, where he intended to stay on Jan. 1, 2022, according to trial testimony. He was found dead there that afternoon.

“(Hagar) deliberately acted with conscious disregard to human life. He didn’t care,” Sorensen said.

Defense attorney Ryan Markson rejected the prosecution’s interpretation of what happened, insisting Hagar wasn’t the one who directly provided the fentanyl and had no idea of the lethality of the pills that the victim ingested.

“This is the real thing. It’s as real as it gets,” Markson told the jury. “Accountability is at the essence of the justice system. O’Brien caused his own death.”

He asked jurors whether there was anything fair about trying to make his client “accountable for Travis’ death?”

The attorney reminded jurors that O’Brien contacted Hagar, and that the latter “wasn’t in the business of selling fentanyl,” but didn’t want to ignore the request for help setting up a transaction.

“My client is guilty of poor judgment, not murder,” Markson said.

Hagar was arrested in August 2022, following an investigation by the sheriff’s Overdose Death Investigations Unit. He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) – A convicted felon who stabbed his girlfriend multiple times in an attack under an Indio bridge will have his prior convictions factored into his sentencing, a judge ruled today before resetting the hearing for December.

A Riverside jury in August convicted 44-year-old Jamin Demar Williams of assault with a deadly weapon, domestic violence and a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Laura Garcia convened a hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice Friday to consider arguments by the defense and prosecution regarding the validity of Williams’ prior crimes. She ultimately decided the aggravating factors were applicable. The defendant’s sentencing hearing, however, was postponed until Dec. 4.

He’s facing more than 10 years behind bars and remains held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail.

According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney’s Office, on the afternoon of April 22, 2024, the defendant became irate with the victim, identified only as an area transient, for unspecified reasons.

The brief said Williams and the woman had sometimes shared her tent under the Golf Center Parkway Bridge, and their year-long relationship had involved acts of domestic abuse, though nothing comparable to April 22.

The victim later told Indio Police Department investigators that she was relaxing in her tent when the defendant rushed inside and accused her of “setting me up.”

He punched her in the face, knocking her to the ground.

“After kicking and punching the victim, the defendant began stabbing her,” according to the narrative. “During the assault, the defendant told her, `I’m going to kill you today. I don’t give a (expletive) about you.'”

For a half-hour, Williams held her inside the tent by threatening her with a six-inch knife, according to the prosecution. He inflicted a wound to the right side of her neck, stabbed her three times in the left arm and shoulder, and once behind the right ear, prosecutors said.

When the victim finally broke away, she fled to a nearby 7-Eleven and asked a clerk to call 911, which immediately brought patrol units to the location.

Officers detained the defendant under the bridge following a brief confrontation, during which he baited them to “shoot me, just shoot me then,” the brief said. No shots were fired during his arrest, and neither Williams nor officers suffered injuries.

The woman was taken to a regional trauma center for treatment of her wounds, from which she has since recovered.

Williams was interviewed by detectives that evening, telling them he had “three split personalities,” according to the prosecution. He named the persons as “Jay,” “Ashad” and “Quick.”

“The defendant stated neither Jay or Ashad harmed the victim and were unaware of what happened,” the brief said. “The defendant stated he does not talk to Quick, and Quick did not want to speak with defendant or the police. He told police he knew the woman but never lived under the bridge. He was unsure how he obtained blood on his clothing and body.”

Court records indicated Williams underwent psychiatric evaluations throughout 2024 and was determined to be competent to stand trial.

His prior convictions include making criminal threats and first-degree burglary, resulting in prison time.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) – A 36-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of homicide after the death of his 76-year-old stepfather in Rancho Mirage Thursday night.

Deputies were first called to respond to an assault with a deadly weapon call, first reported just after 8:30 p.m. on the 36000 block of Palm View Road.

Deputies located Carl Harry Smith, 76, suffering from injuries consistent with stab wounds. Smith was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The Riverside Sheriff’s Central Homicide Unit was requested and assumed the investigation.

During the investigation, investigators identified Smith’s stepson, a 36-year-old man from Joshua Tree, as the suspect. The suspect was taken into custody without incident and booked into the John Benoit Detention Center for murder.

The suspect is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone with information regarding the incident to contact Central Homicide Unit Investigator John Adams at (951) 955-2777.