RivCo Felon Accused Of Fatally Shooting Woman To Stand Trial For Murder

INDIO, CA — A convicted felon accused of gunning down his 24-year- old girlfriend during an argument at her home near Indio, then making a run for the border, must stand trial for first-degree murder and other offenses, a judge ruled Wednesday.

Mario Morales Jr., 26, of Coachella was arrested last summer following a Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation into the slaying of Alexis Cano.

At the end of a preliminary hearing Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Charles Stafford found there was sufficient evidence to bound Morales over for trial on the murder count, as well as being a felon in possession of a firearm and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for April 1 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

Morales is being held on $5 million bail at the Benoit Detention Center.

According to sheriff's Sgt. Jarred Bishop, just after 7 a.m. on June 25, 2025, the defendant and Cano were involved in an unspecified dispute at her residence in the 84000 block of Manilla Avenue, near Van Buren Street.

During the confrontation, Morales pulled a handgun and shot the young woman, Bishop alleged. He said witnesses called 911, and paramedics arrived with deputies minutes later, pronouncing the victim dead at the scene.

Bishop said Central Homicide Unit detectives took over the investigation, soon identifying Morales as the alleged perpetrator.

They were able to confirm the defendant was headed south to flee across the border, the sheriff's spokesman said. Morales was intercepted at the Calexico Port crossing in Imperial County two days later and taken into custody without incident.

His prior convictions were not listed by the court.