Death Penalty Sought for Double Shooting

Final trial preparations continued Thursday in the trial of an Indio gang member accused in the execution-style murders of two men more than a decade ago.

Elias Carmona Lopez, 29, faces two counts of first-degree murder and two felony counts of participating in a street gang in the shooting deaths of Erineo Perez and Martin Garcia on Oct. 10 and Oct. 26, 2004.

Both victims were shot several times in the face, authorities said.

Lopez faces 11 sentence-enhancing allegations, including special- circumstances of lying in wait, committing multiple murders and murder in furtherance of a criminal street gang.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Lopez.

During the hearing at the Larson Justice Center, prosecution and defense attorneys debated a number of pretrial motions -- a process that began Tuesday and was expected to continue through September.

A month-long jury selection procedure was expected to begin in October, with opening statements and testimony scheduled for Nov. 2.

Perez was found in the front seat of his vehicle near Indio City Hall and Garcia was found in an Indio alley, authorities said.

Lopez was an early suspect in both killings, but there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the case until July 2008, county prosecutors said in 2010, declining to reveal what additional evidence came to light.

Lopez was brought in 2008 to Riverside County from Arizona, where he was imprisoned for armed robbery.

--City News Service, photo via Shutterstock