Prosecutor Says RivCo Man Who Fatally Shot Halloween Partygoer Had Intent To Cause Trouble

COACHELLA VALLEY, CA — A 24-year-old accused of firing rounds at a Halloween party in 2019, killing one partygoer, also initiated the event, a prosecutor alleged in court Thursday.

Meanwhile, the defendant's attorney insisted that his client was in a life-or-death situation that compelled him to open fire.

Jorge Andres Huerta Arias of Whitewater is facing charges of murder and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury charges for the death of 19-year-old Anthony Carrillo of La Quinta on Oct. 26, 2019.

It took years for deputies to locate Arias before he was arrested on June 13 of last year. He had turned 18 just over a month before the fatal shooting and had no documented prior felony convictions.

At the Larson Justice Center Thursday, Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Steve Sorensen told jurors that Arias went the house party at 53965 Avenida Madero armed with a handgun and had dangerous intentions.

The defendant was part of a group called "STK," Sorensen said, and wore a black hat with that brand clearly visible that night. Shortly after midnight, Sorensen says Arias became confrontational toward people he viewed as adversaries.

"Instead of using his hands, the defendant pulls out a gun," Sorenson said, adding that the defendant fired a "volume of shots" that sent people running for cover.

Carrillo was mortally wounded during the incident while another person, who has not been identified, returned shots at Arias, striking him in the buttocks as he ran out of the home, the prosecution team said.

Sheriff's deputies later found Carillo in critical condition at the home and was taken to a hospital where he died that morning.

Arias was eventually taken to San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital in Banning for treatment of his non-life-threatening wound.

At the time, he claimed that he had been the victim of a drive-by attack in the city. However, a search of the area turned up no evidence of such.

Riverside County sheriff’s detectives spent years tying up loose ends and gathering evidence before seeking felony charges against the defendant in 2025, a process that culminated in his arrest last June.

Defense attorney Shaun Sullivan pushed back on the prosecution’s account, telling jurors the case is “about survival,” not murder.

Sullivan said Arias attended the Halloween party with his cousin, Evelyn, and her boyfriend to have fun, not to promote his “clique.”

According to the defense, the victim, Carrillo, was affiliated with his own group, known as “Dream Homes,” and had a prior history of conflict with Arias. Sullivan described Carrillo as a bully who, along with his associates, had attempted to intimidate Arias during their time in high school.

Sullivan told jurors that during the party, Arias heard someone shout, “Smoke this fool; get the gun,” causing him to fear for his life.

“He fires back out of survival, out of fear,” Sullivan said.

The attorney acknowledged that Arias fled the scene but characterized the decision as an act of self-preservation. Sullivan also said Arias avoided seeking treatment at hospitals in the Coachella Valley out of fear that Carrillo’s associates might track him down and “finish what they started.”

He is being held without bail at the Benoit Detention Center in Indio.

City News Service contributed to this report.