RIVERSIDE, CA — Pretrial motions may get underway Thursday for two men accused of killing a 21-year-old Riverside motorist in a car-to-car shooting.
Freddy Cebrero, 31, and Francisco Rodriguez, 27, both of Riverside, are accused in the 2021 slaying of Damian Preciado.
Each defendant is charged with first-degree murder, firearm assault, a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations, with an additional allegation of shooting from a moving vehicle.
The pair are scheduled to appear Thursday before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jerry Yang, who may begin ruling on prosecution and defense motions ahead of jury selection at the Riverside Hall of Justice. However, the men's defense attorneys and prosecutors must first confirm they're prepared to move forward. Proceedings were postponed last week because one of the attorneys was tied up on another case.
Both defendants are being held without bail — Cebrero at the Benoit Detention Center in Indio, and Rodriguez at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.
According to former Riverside Police Department spokesman Officer Ryan Railsback, at 11:20 a.m. on Sept. 19, 2021, Rodriguez and Cebrero encountered Preciado at the intersection of Arlington Avenue and Tyler Street, just west of downtown, and allegedly opened fire as he sat in his vehicle.
The victim was struck several times and died at the scene, Railsback said at the time.
He said no suspects were immediately identified, but in the ensuing weeks detectives developed leads indicating the deadly attack was likely gang- related, and that the two assailants were allegedly Cebrero and Rodriguez.
No other details were disclosed.
Cebrero was taken into custody without incident in Yucca Valley on Dec. 28, 2021. He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.
Rodriguez was arrested uneventfully in Riverside on Jan. 11, 2022. He also has no documented priors in the county.
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Banning, CA Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.