RIVERSIDE — A probationer and another man accused in a fatal shooting in Moreno Valley were charged Tuesday with felony offenses.
Adam Melvin Carl, 29, and Ruben Alexander Puentes, 28, both of Moreno Valley, were arrested Friday following a months-long Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigation into the slaying last year of 45-year-old Ralph Ortega.
Carl is charged with first-degree murder, being a felon with a firearm and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations. Puentes is charged with gun assault resulting in great bodily injury and a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony.
They made a joint initial court appearance Tuesday before Superior Court Judge Melissa Hale, who appointed each defendant an attorney and scheduled their arraignment for June 12 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Both are being held at the Robert Presley Detention Center — Carl in lieu of $1 million bail, and Puentes in lieu of $50,000 bail.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Alberto Loureiro, on the night of Nov. 1, the defendants were involved in an unspecified dispute with Ortega in the 24000 block of Dracaea Avenue, near Heacock Street.
During the confrontation, Carl allegedly pulled a pistol and opened fire, striking the victim multiple times, according to Loureiro and court documents.
The defendants fled the location immediately after the gunfire, the sergeant alleged.
He said paramedics reached the location minutes later and found Ortega in grave condition. He was taken to nearby Riverside University Medical Center, where he died a short time later.
A possible motive has not been disclosed.
Central Homicide Unit detectives spent the ensuing six months amassing evidence that ultimately pointed to the defendants as the alleged perpetrators. Both were taken into custody without incident on Pepper Court on Friday morning.
Court records indicated Carl has prior convictions for assault resulting in great bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon and driving without a license. Puentes has no documented prior felonies in Riverside County.
