SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) — Prosecutors filed murder charges Tuesday against five suspects in the fatal shootings of six men at a remote dirt crossroads in the Southern California desert after what investigators said was a dispute over marijuana.
The suspects each face six felony counts of murder with a special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, the San Bernardino County District Attorney's Office said in a statement.
“This mass murder, done in a dark secluded desert, clearly illuminates the violence and crime that exists as a direct consequence of illegal marijuana operations,” District Attorney Jason Anderson said in Tuesday's statement.
San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said Monday that the bodies were found in an area known for black market cannabis about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles.
Dicus said in 2023 his department served 411 search warrants for illegal marijuana grow sites countywide and recovered 655,000 plants and $370 million.
Persons:
— Prosecutors, Jose Nicolas Hernandez, Toniel Beaz, Duarte, Mateo Beaz, Jose Gregorgio Hernandez, Jose Manuel Burgos Parra, Toniel Beaz Duarte, Mateo Beaz Duarte, Office didn't, Michael Warrick, Warrick, Jason Anderson, Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus, Dicus, Baldemar Mondragon, Franklin Noel Bonilla, Kevin Dariel Bonilla, Franklin Bonilla
Organizations:
BERNARDINO, Calif, —, San, San Bernardino County, Attorney's, Public, Office, Authorities, El, Trailblazer, Bernardino County Sheriff
Locations:
Southern California, San Bernardino, San Bernardino County, ”, Bernardino County, Los Angeles, Apple, Los Angeles County, Albarran, Adelanto, Hesperia, California, Riverside County