Suspect charged in deaths of Jonathan Reynoso, Audrey Moran testifies about 'unburying them'

Suspects made jailhouse statements admitting to killing a Coachella Valley couple missing since 2017 and burying them in a backyard, an investigator said on Wednesday during a hearing at the Superior Court in Riverside.

Jonathan Reynoso, 28, and Audrey Moran, 26, of Indio last had contact with relatives on May 10, 2017.

Moran's sister received a selfie of Moran and Reynoso on that day. Moran had told family she was going to pick up Reynoso in Brawley after he was expected to return from a trip with friends.

Six suspects in all are charged with crimes in connection with the disappearance and presumed killings of Reynoso and Moran.

Abraham Fregoso, 32, of Indio; Manuel Rios, 28, of Coachella; Aaron Bernal, 29, of Indio; Adilene Casteneda, 29, of Coachella; have been charged with murder and have pleaded not guilty. Eric Rios, 32 of Coachella and Jesus Ruiz Jr., 41, of Stockton pleaded guilty to charges of accessory after the fact.

Authorities announced charges had been filed against the six in 2020 and that the remains of the couple had been found at an unspecified location in the Coachella Valley.

During his testimony Wednesday, investigator Carlos Mendoza summarized several undercover interviews conducted in Spanish with several suspects while they were in jail.

Mendoza said Fregoso described how he and Reynoso allegedly had been involved in a drug deal gone wrong. Fregoso said that he and others involved had resolved to punish Reynoso, and the beating resulted in his death, according to Mendoza.

Fregoso said that Moran became hysterical after Reynoso's death, and that he subsequently strangled her to death, according to Mendoza.

He and several others then attempted to bury the bodies in the backyard of a residence. He described that the two were placed in containers and that some sort of "acid" was used in an attempt to decompose the bodies, Mendoza testified.

A second sheriff's department investigator, Dan Moody, testified that human remains were later found, and the DNA was a match to Reynoso and Moran.

A backyard burial?

Ruiz Jr. previously testified over the course of two days that the two were presumably killed in connection to an alleged drug deal and robbery. Ruiz testified with his lawyer present, as he was also charged and pleaded guilty in the case.

He did not provide details about the alleged drug deal and repeatedly said that he was having difficulty remembering dates, times, the identities of some of the suspects and their actions.

Ruiz said he heard that Reynoso died after an altercation and Moran was subsequently strangled when she said she was going to contact the police.

When asked who was involved with the killing, Ruiz said he couldn't remember and that he had just heard the information second-hand from Adilene Casteneda, a suspect charged in the case.

He did, however, say that he dug a hole to "bury trash" in the backyard of a home he was staying at on Burr Street in Indio. Fregoso told him, he said, to dig the hole larger so it could fit everything that needed to be put in it. He said he saw large blue containers and empty bags of concrete nearby at a later date but added he wasn't sure what had been buried.

Sometime later, he guessed a year, Ruiz said he and others staying at the home on Burr Street were preparing to move. Rios had him help rent a tractor, Ruiz testified, and helped him dig up a portion of the backyard.

Ruiz described the work as "unburying them." He said during the process they unearthed some "body parts or bones" and a large concrete object that they disposed of in some water nearby. Ruiz did not say during testimony where the water body was located.

Moody, however, said Ruiz consented to show he and another officer the locations in person. Ruiz directed them to a canal near an industrial area, saying a concrete block containing human remains was disposed of there.

Ruiz then directed them to a second location, an undeveloped area at the end of Enterprise Way near Avenue 54, in Indio. At that location, Moody and his colleague identified what appeared to be human bones. The scene was searched, human remains were collected, later tested and identified as those of Reynoso and Moran, Moody said.

The purpose of the hearing, which started Monday, is for the judge to determine if there is enough evidence for the remaining four defendants to stand trial. The hearing is scheduled to continue Thursday.

Christopher Damien covers public safety and the criminal justice system. He can be reached at christopher.damien@desertsun.com or follow him at @chris_a_damien.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Suspect charged in deaths of Jonathan Reynoso, Audrey Moran testifies about 'unburying them'