After Child Dies, Moreno Valley Man Charged With Murder

MORENO VALLEY, CA — A man who crashed his vehicle into a Moreno Valley pole while allegedly driving drunk has been formally charged with murder after his passenger — a 6-year-old girl — died from injuries she sustained in the wreck.

Salvador Joseph Barnes, 44, is being held at Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside in lieu of $1 million bail, jail records show.

The crash was reported around 6:45 p.m. Jan. 28 at Heacock Street and Ironwood Avenue, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

"Deputies arrived within a minute and discovered a single vehicle collided with a signal light pole," the sheriff's department reported.

Barnes was hospitalized with minor injuries, but the child, whose identity has not been released, was critically injured. She died Jan. 31 at a local hospital, the department said. As a result, a murder charge against Barnes was filed Friday, according to court documents.

Jail records show Barnes was taken into custody following the crash but released on bail. He was "placed under arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol and causing injury," the sheriff's department said the night of the crash.

Following the child's death, an arrest warrant for Barnes was obtained and he was taken into custody again at 8 p.m. Wednesday, jail records show.

The relationship between Barnes and the child was not immediately disclosed.

As of Friday morning, an arraignment date for Barnes had not been scheduled.