Crime & Safety
Man To Stand Trial For Allegedly Killing Grocery Store Customer In Coachella Valley
The defendant is free on a $250,000 bond.
INDIO, CA — A 20-year-old man accused of gunning down an Indio grocery store customer during an altercation that spilled out of the supermarket and into the parking lot must stand trial for first-degree murder and other charges, a judge ruled Thursday.
Gideon Gonzalez Jr. was arrested immediately after the alleged attack last year that claimed the life of 26-year-old Lorenzo Segoviano outside the Food-4-Less in the 82100 block of Highway 111.
Following a preliminary hearing at the Larson Justice Center Thursday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Charles Rogers found there was sufficient evidence to bound Gonzalez over for trial on the murder count, as well as three counts of firearm assault and two counts of child endangerment, with sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
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The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Aug. 27 at the Indio courthouse. Gonzalez is free on a $250,000 bond.
He was originally held in lieu of $1 million. The bail reduction, irregular in a murder case, was approved by Superior Court Judge Dean Benjamini at the end of last year based on a defense motion.
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According to the Indio Police Department, patrol officers were sent to the supermarket at 5:40 p.m. on Feb. 1, 2025, to investigate reports of a shooting. They found Segoviano mortally wounded. Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.
A description of the alleged shooter was obtained, and officers located the man — later identified as Gonzalez — within five minutes a short distance away.
Investigators said that the confrontation between the defendant and victim began in the store for unspecified reasons, leading to a fight in the parking lot.
Gonzalez pulled a handgun and opened fire, shooting the victim at close range, police alleged.
No other details were provided, and the child cruelty and firearm assault counts were not explained at the time but may have stemmed from the presence of other people in the store.
The defendant has no documented prior felony convictions in adult court.
