Silvercrest CEO/Founder charged in deadly hit-and-run crash released on bail
Athena Jreij
Update 10/16/25
William Rodriguez has been released from jail on bail, county jail records show.
Rodriguez was being held on $2 million bail following his arraignment on Wednesday.
He is scheduled to return to court on Oct. 24 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.
Original Report 10/15/25
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) — William ‘Billy’ Frank Rodriguez, the founder and CEO of Silvercrest Advertising, made his first court appearance Wednesday for a deadly hit-and-run in Cathedral City.
Rodriguez pleaded not guilty to all charges, which include murder, hit-and-run causing death, and driving with a suspended license. He remains in custody on $2 million bail.
Rodriguez is accused of killing 60-year-old Christina Barrington in the area of E. Palm Canyon Drive and Bankside Drive on October 11, 2024.
Police said the investigation revealed that the suspect’s vehicle dragged the scooter after the crash while fleeing the scene.
Court Docs: Silvercrest CEO spent weekend in Las Vegas after deadly hit-and-run crash
While Judge Dean Benjamini granted Rodriguez bail, the prosecution argued he’s a danger to the public and should remain in custody.
Karen Salas, with the Riverside County District Attorney, claims Rodriguez drove for years under a suspended license after a 2013 DUI misdemeanor. Salas said in court that Rodriguez had two registered vehicles under his name, despite not having a license.
“He likes to spend money and drink alcohol. Given all of this information and his access to funds, I think he is a flight risk, and additionally, he’s a danger to the public. He has access to yet another vehicle that is registered to him, and by the fact that he doesn’t have a license, and his history indicates that he drinks at Acrisure Arena and then drives home,” Salas said.
Salas also stressed Rodriguez’s propensity to evade police. She alleged that when Cathedral City Police first tried to arrest Rodriguez last week in his Acrisure Arena suite, security tipped him off, and he fled the arena before police could contact him.
However, Rodriguez’s defense attorney, David Greenberg, says those claims were never shared with them in documentation and refutes the notion that Rodriguez has tried to run.
“This happened over a year ago and we’re just in court now. He was just arrested on these charges over the weekend and so what I’m worried about and what I’m wondering about is why it took them a year to get these charges filed?” Greenberg said.
Instead, Greenberg says the advertising CEO is a generous member of the community who maintains his innocence.
“Mr. Rodriguez is a stalwart man in the community. He’s a philanthropist, and he’s been doing good work and a resident of this community for a long time. I hope people remember that,” Greenberg said.
Greenberg says, depending on how quickly Rodriguez can pay the $2 million bail, he could leave jail as soon as Wednesday evening.
Inside the courtroom, friends and family of Rodriguez came in a show of support. It’s unknown if members of the victim’s family attended.
Rodriguez is scheduled for a felony settlement conference hearing on October 24th. Stick with News Channel 3 as we continue to follow this story.