Desert Hot Springs Man to Stand Trial for Allegedly Perpetrating Gang-Related Homicide
City News Service
INDIO, Calif. (KESQ) – A documented gang member accused of gunning down a 19-year-old man and nearly shooting two other people during an attack in Desert Hot Springs must stand trial for first-degree murder and other charges, a judge ruled today.
Casey William Gillespie, 23, of Desert Hot Springs allegedly joined a juvenile in the slaying of Fernando Delgado Cardenas in 2021.
Following a preliminary hearing Tuesday at the Larson Justice Center, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Susanne Cho found there was sufficient evidence to bound Gillespie over for trial on the murder count, as well as two counts of attempted murder and one count of being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm, with a special circumstance allegation of killing for the benefit of a criminal street gang and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Jan. 9 at the Indio courthouse.
The defendant is being held without bail at the Benoit Detention Center.
A teenager, Isaac Garcia of Desert Hot Springs, was also charged in connection with the shooting, but the matter was transferred to juvenile dependency court, authorities said in 2021.
The attack occurred in the predawn hours of May 28, 2021, in the 12600 block of Cactus Drive, near Granada Avenue, according to Detective Christopher Saucier of the Desert Hot Springs Police Department.
Court papers claim that the shooting was gang-motivated. The specific name of the street gang with which the defendant is affiliated was not provided.
Saucier said patrol officers were sent to the Cactus Drive location to investigate reports of shots fired and discovered Cardenas on the ground, gravely wounded. Two other people who had been with him, whose identities were not disclosed, narrowly escaped being shot, according to investigators.
First responders attempted life-saving measures, but they were unable to save the victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives spent the ensuing weeks analyzing forensic evidence and gathering information from witnesses, ultimately procuring what they needed to serve arrest warrants on Gillespie and Cardenas, both of whom were taken into custody without incident in June 2021.
Details on Gillespie’s prior convictions were unavailable. Cardenas had no documented priors.