What to Know
- Five suspects in the killings of six people in the high desert of San Bernardino County are charged with murder and robbery.
- The six victims were found dead Jan. 23 on a dirt road near Adelanto, about 50 miles east of Lancaster.
- The shootings apparently stemmed from a dispute over illegal marijuana, investigators say.
Five suspects in the killings of six people in the high desert north of Los Angeles were charged Tuesday with multiple counts of murder.
The bodies of the six victims were discovered Jan. 23 on a dirt road near the San Bernardino County community of Adelanto. Earlier this weekend, the sheriff's department said the killings appear to have stemmed from a dispute over illegal marijuana.
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The five people arrested in the case were identified as Toniel Baez-Duarte, 35, Jose Nicolas Hernandez-Sarabia, 33, Mateo Beaz Duarte, 24, Jose Gregorgio Hernandez-Sarabia, 36, and Jose Manuel Burgos Parra, 26. Each defendant faces six felony counts of murder and robbery. Hernandez-Sarabia, Beaz Duarte, Hernandez-Sarabia and Burgos Parros face additional special allegations of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.
All were held without bail.
Toniel Beaz Duarte and Mateo Beaz Duarte appeared Tuesday for their arraignment and pleaded not guilty to all charges. Their next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 6. The three other defendants are scheduled to appear for arraignment Wednesday.
“As far as the motives, we are confident this appears to be a dispute over marijuana which resulted in murders,” said Sgt. Michael Warrick of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
The investigation began about a week ago with a 911 call from someone asking for help after the shootings. The call was disconnected, but authorities tracked the phone to the high desert north of Adelanto near Lessing Avenue and Shadow Mountain Road.
Deputies arrived to find six gunshot victims, four of whom also suffered burn injuries. Two vehicles were at the scene -- a silver minivan and dark blue SUV.
Three of the victims were identified as 34-year-old Baldemar Mondragon-Albarran of Adelanto, 22-year-old Franklin Noel Bonilla of Hesperia, and 25-year-old Kevin Dariel Bonilla of Hesperia. The identities of the three other male victims have yet to be disclosed.
“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,” said San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson. “I commend the Sheriff’s investigative team for their rapid and thorough work and send my condolences to the families of the victims.”
Sheriff Shannon Dicus declined to say whether the crime was related to drug cartel activities, but said violent confrontations over illegal marijuana are not uncommon in San Bernardino County, especially in the Shadow Mountains area in the Mojave Desert.
"This is the area that's known for illicit marijuana," Dicus said. "Based on our training and experience, we believe a lot of these things occurring may be related to much bigger things going on."
Authorities later recovered eight firearms during the arrest at a compound in Piñon Hills near Los Angeles County, according to Warrick.
“I would describe it as a compound, it was close to a grow being formed, not active yet,” Warrick said.
In 2023, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department served 411 search warrants for illegal marijuana grows, according to Dicus. They recovered 655,000 marijuana plants and $370 million dollars.
“Since we’ve been investigating illegal marijuana grows, a number of body dumps have been related to this across our county,” Dicus said.
