Riverside County begins proceedings for two murder trials

Two separate murder trials have commenced in Riverside County, California.

In Indio, jury selection has begun for the trial of James “Chip” Milton Nathaniel, 39. Nathaniel is accused of the 2015 first-degree murder of Apolonio Carranza. The incident allegedly occurred after Carranza crashed into Nathaniel’s Porsche SUV following a dispute. Nathaniel faces additional charges, including being a felon in possession of a firearm and witness intimidation. The case has faced numerous delays since the 2015 arrest.

In a separate matter, pretrial motions have started for Alexis Yahir Duran, 22, of Cathedral City. Duran is charged with second-degree murder in the 2023 death of 17-year-old Adam Pineda. Prosecutors allege that during a trip to a deserted area in Sky Valley, Duran fired a handgun toward Pineda while allegedly ‘goofing around’ with the weapon. Duran is currently being held on $1 million bail.