Suspect Charged With Murder After Weeks-Long Investigation In Cabazon Body Discovery

CABAZON, CA — A 48-year-old man accused of gunning down an acquaintance and burying his remains just south of Interstate 10 in Cabazon was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder and other offenses.

Jesse Bruce Kennedy of Cabazon was arrested Saturday following a Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation.

Along with murder, Kennedy was charged with a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

The defendant, who is being held on $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center, was slated to make his initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Carlos Mendoza, detectives working an investigation that began several weeks ago developed leads Saturday indicating that the body of the homicide victim, whose name was not released, was located near a residence in the area of Poplar Street and William Avenue, less than a quarter-mile from southbound I-10.

Further investigation led to the recovery of the remains.

It was unclear exactly where the man was fatally shot, though court documents indicated he perished on Aug. 11. Mendoza did not specify a possible motive.

He said Kennedy was immediately identified as the alleged perpetrator and taken into custody without incident in a parking lot not far from where detectives found the remains.

Court records indicated Kennedy has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County. However, he has a traffic-related conviction from the summer of 2021.