CHAPTER 1 - INTEGRITY
People v. Adam Slater
Adam Slater of Palm Desert was convicted of the brutal 2020 murder of his one-year-old daughter, Madalyn. The tragedy began when he stabbed his pregnant estranged wife during a custody exchange, kidnapped Madalyn, stabbed a bystander, and then threw the child off a Highway 74 cliff. Prosecutor Samantha Paxiao called the verdict long overdue, emphasizing that no crime is greater than taking the life of one’s own child. Slater was ultimately sentenced to death.
People v. Carl Ray Flores Jr. and Brian Ramiro Inocencio
Carl Ray Flores Jr. was sentenced to 10 years plus 75 years to life in prison, and Brian Ramiro Inocencio was sentenced to 47 years to life for the 2021 attempted murder of a Hemet man. A Riverside County jury found both men guilty on October 28, 2024, of attempted murder and witness intimidation, and Judge Johnnetta Anderson imposed the sentences on November 15, 2024.
Deputy DAs August Sage and Sam Taloa successfully proved that Flores, a Moreno Valley gang member and associate of the Mexican Mafia, ordered the killing after the victim tried to leave a drug partnership and couldn’t repay $5,000 from a seized shipment. The attack occurred in August 2021 at the victim’s home, where Inocencio confronted him, placed a FaceTime call to Flores, and then shot the victim multiple times after Flores declared, “You’re dead.” The victim survived, and investigators later located Inocencio in Tijuana with the help of U.S. Marshals and Mexican authorities.
People v. Lehr, Lehr, and Lehr
People v. Lehr, Lehr, and Lehr, prosecuted by Deputy DA Lindsay McDowell, exposed years of extreme abuse suffered by two sisters. In 2022, a 13-year-old victim arrived at a neighbor’s home starving, sick, and severely injured, revealing prolonged abuse and neglect by her parents and ongoing sexual abuse by her adult brother. She and her sister were isolated from the public, removed from school, forced to labor on a neighbor’s farm, and denied medical care, hygiene, and adequate food.
The home lacked running water and functioning toilets, and it was filled with trash, with rats crawling on the girls as they slept. Animal abuse, cult-like practices, alcohol-laced “medications,” domestic violence, and suicide attempts were routine, while the parents threatened the girls into silence and trained them to fear law enforcement. Despite these conditions, both victims escaped, sought help, and testified before a jury. Their strength left a profound impact on those present, and there were few dry eyes in the courtroom. In 2025, justice was served.
People v. John Edward Lario
Investigators with the Riverside County Child Exploitation Team (RCCET) believe there may be more victims of a Banning man arrested last month and are seeking the public’s help in identifying them.
People v. William Arnold Armendariz, III
Today, in Riverside Hall of Justice, Judge Matthew Perantoni sentenced William Arnold Armendariz, III to death for the murders of five victims in three separate incidents spanning from 2015 to 2020. Armendariz received a separate death sentence for each victim. He was additionally sentenced to 32 years to life for the attempted first-degree murder of a surviving victim.
People v. Charles William Mix
On September 25, 2024, convicted pedophile Charles William Mix, 69, who kidnapped and raped a 5-year-old girl in 2004, was denied parole under the elderly parole program by the California Board of Parole Hearings. Mix was sentenced to 350 years in state prison for charges including child cruelty, kidnapping for rape, and lewd acts on a child under 14, of which he has served just over 20 years. DA Mike Hestrin said the denial reflected the seriousness of the crime and the ongoing risk Mix posed to public safety. At the same time, the victim’s sister, Claira Stansbury, spoke on her behalf, urging that the focus remain on victims and their families.
People v. AutoNation, Inc.
A network of AutoNation, Inc. dealerships was ordered on February 25, 2025, to pay $650,000 for violating consumer protection laws tied to used vehicle sales. The dealerships failed to meet state requirements for timely DMV registration and ownership transfers. Filed in Santa Clara County, the case involved six District Attorney’s Offices, including Deputy DA Evan Goldsmith representing the Riverside County DA’s Office. As part of the settlement, 42 AutoNation subsidiaries in California must adopt new compliance measures, with funds from the judgment covering penalties, investigative costs, and statewide consumer protection initiatives.
People v. Walmart
Following years of investigation into hazardous waste violations, Riverside County was awarded more than $170,000 as part of a $7.3 million statewide settlement against Walmart, Inc. The judgment stemmed from findings that the company had illegally disposed of hazardous and medical waste at more than 300 locations across California, including 33 in Riverside County. Waste audits conducted between 2015 and 2021 revealed that items such as aerosols, bleach, pesticides, and over-the-counter medications were improperly discarded in regular trash bound for local landfills, despite a prior injunction issued to the global retailer in 2010 prohibiting such practices. Deputy DA Lauren R. Martineau was able to secure Riverside County’s portion of the settlement, which included $144,000 in civil penalties and $26,000 in cost reimbursement, with $10,000 directed to the County’s Department of Environmental Health.
People v. Jake Mitchell Haro and Rebecca Renee Haro
The disappearance of 7-month-old Emmanuel Haro, a case that has drawn national attention, led to murder charges against his parents, Jake Mitchell Haro and Rebecca Renee Haro. Both were also charged with filing a false police report on August 26, 2025, after Rebecca Haro claimed on August 14, 2025, that Emmanuel was abducted in a Yucaipa parking lot. Assistant District Attorney Brandon Smith intends to present evidence of prior abuse, including Jake Haro’s 2023 conviction for willful child cruelty in a separate case involving his daughter from another marriage. The couple’s bail was set at $1 million each.