Months after a man survived a burst of gunfire while driving through Riverside, investigators arrested two men in an alleged murder-for-hire plot, including a Victorville pastor who authorities say killed the man who was dating his daughter.
The pastor, identified Tuesday as Samuel Pasillas, 47, is accused of paying nearly $40,000 to have his daughter's suitor killed, according to the Riverside Police Department. Investigators said Pasillas provided information about his boyfriend to the men he paid, including the man's location on the October night he was shot.
Juan Manuel Cebreros, left, and Samuel Pasillas are shown in reserve photos.
(Riverside Police Department)
The hitmen, who police said included Juan Manuel Cebreros, 55, surveilled the boyfriend for weeks before the shooting, according to Police Department spokesman Ryan Railsback.
The victim, who has not been identified, was shot multiple times on Oct. 21 when a vehicle pulled up next to his vehicle and a gunman opened fire, Railsback said.
The victim drove to a hospital and has since been released, Railsback said, but is still recovering from the gunshot wounds.
Pasillas is pastor of a small Spanish-speaking church, the International Prayer Center, in Victorville, where he also lives, Railsback said. He was arrested last week on suspicion of solicitation of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. He pleaded not guilty to all charges, according to Riverside County Superior Court records.
The Times was unable to contact anyone at Pasillas' church. His attorney, listed in court records as Deputy Public Defender Drew Ogdon, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pasillas remains jailed on $1 million bail, along with Cebreros, of Long Beach, who has been booked on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
A third man linked to the case has not yet been arrested, court records show. It was not immediately clear how many other people were connected to the shooting, and Railsback said the investigation continues.
