Hunt Continues For 2nd Man Accused Of Killing Innocent RivCo Dad

Crime & Safety

Hunt Continues For 2nd Man Accused Of Killing Innocent RivCo Dad The 43-year-old father​​ was gunned down by killers who intended their target to be someone else, according to authorities.

Gabriel Hernandez (shown) is charged in the murder of 43-year-old Ruben Hernandez. The two men are not related. Gabriel Hernandez remains on the run. (Cathedral City Police Dept.)

— Ruben Hernandez was gunned down by killers who intended their target to be someone else. He is being remembered on the eve of sentencing of one of the men who took his life and wounded his little girl.

The 43-year-old father is also being remembered as authorities remind the public that one of his alleged killers remains on the loose.

Josue Agustin Sanchezcasas, 27, is facing 15 years to life in prison when he is sentenced Friday for the March 23, 2020, murder of Hernandez at his Cathedral City home. On Oct. 18, a jury found Sanchezcasas guilty of second-degree murder.

Josue Agustin Sanchezcasas (Image: Cathedral City Police Dept.)

Sanchezcasas did not act alone, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. On the evening of the killing, he and another man, Gabriel Hernandez (unrelated to the victim), went to Ruben Hernandez's home on Avenida La Vista because they believed a person who killed their friend lived there.

They were wrong. The home was the former residence of their "intended target." Ruben Hernandez and his young family had only recently moved in, according to the DA's office.

Sanchezcasas was the driver in the planned attack. It was Gabriel Hernandez who went up to the house, tried to get in, and then fired several rounds through a metal security door, the DA's office said.

Ruben Hernandez and his 11-year-old daughter were both hit by gunfire. The child survived but her father died.

Unlike Sanchezcasas, Gabriel Hernandez has eluded authorities. But when he is captured the now 24-year-old will face one count of murder, and one count of attempted murder in the case, along with one count of attempted murder for shooting at a person at a second location on the same date as the Ruben Hernandez slaying.

Authorities believe Gabriel Hernandez fled to Mexico and had help getting there. Sanchezcasas’ brother, Joel Sanchez, was tracked down in Tijuana, Mexico, and was charged in the case. The Cathedral City man who is now 22 years old admitted to being an accessory to the crimes. He was sentenced to three years and four months in prison, according to the DA's office.

As for Gabriel Hernandez, anyone with information about his whereabouts, or information related to the incident is asked to contact the Cathedral City Police at 760-770-0300; Commander Rick Sanchez at 760-202-2488; the Cathedral City Police Department website at cathedralcitypolice.com ; or by email at more local news delivered straight to your inbox. .

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