Five charged in murder-for-hire plot

On Tuesday, Feb. 18 the San Bernardino Police Department announced the arrest of five individuals in connection with a murder-for-hire plot that resulted in the death of Yesenia Torres.

On January 10 San Bernardino police officers responded to reports of a shooting in the 400 block of W. Mill Street. Upon arrival, officers found the victim, Yesenia Torres, who was pronounced deceased at the scene. The crime initially appeared to be a robbery, but further investigation revealed a calculated murder plot.

Through witness accounts and surveillance footage, detectives quickly identified two primary suspects: Gerardo Llamas-Torres (31), the suspected shooter, and Arnoldo Ruelas (54), the getaway driver. Within hours of the incident, investigators tracked the suspects’ movements, ultimately leading to the issuance of arrest warrants on January 14.

Two days later SBPD SWAT, homicide detectives, and undercover task force officers, in collaboration with the Bakersfield Violent Criminal Apprehension Team, executed multiple search warrants in Los Angeles and Bakersfield. Both Llamas-Torres and Ruelas were taken into custody, and evidence linking them to the murder was recovered, including a large sum of U.S. currency.

Further investigation uncovered a deeper conspiracy: Reynaldo Ruelas (37), Arnoldo’s younger brother, was also involved in the crime, serving as an intermediary between the hired shooters and Sergio Reveles (53), the victim’s estranged husband, and Juan Perez (42), Reveles’ business partner.
Detectives determined that Torres’ murder had been discussed for over a year, motivated by a contentious divorce between Torres and Reveles, who were involved in a dispute over the division of multi-million-dollar assets.

On February 6, SBPD, in coordination with the FBI, California Highway Patrol (CHP), San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, and Riverside Sheriff’s Department, conducted a seven-location operation in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Search warrants were executed at the homes and business properties of both Reveles and Perez. At the completion of the search warrants, investigators seized over $286,000 in cash and multiple firearms. All five suspects are now in custody.

The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office has now formally charged all five alleged suspects, Sergio Reveles, Juan Perez, Reynaldo Ruelas, Arnoldo Ruelas, and Geraldo Llamas-Torres with PC 187 – Murder, for the death of victim Yesenia Torres.

Additionally, after reviewing the evidence received, prosecutors have filed the following special circumstances against all defendants; Robbery, Financial Gain, and Lying in Wait.

All defendants plead not guilty to all charges at arraignment and are being held without bail.

They are scheduled to appear for a pre-preliminary hearing on March 14th at San Bernardino Justice Center at 8:30am, Department S3.

Anyone with information related to the investigation is asked to contact Homicide Detective M. Yeun at (909)384-5665, Detective D. Martinez at (909) 384-5619 or Homicide Sergeant E. Campos at (909) 384-5613.