A startling incident has come to light in California, involving a pastor allegedly orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot against his daughter’s boyfriend. Samuel Pasillas, a 47-year-old pastor residing in Victorville, California, stands accused of arranging a nearly $40,000 payment to hitmen to carry out the attack on his daughter’s partner. Authorities have revealed that the attempted murder took place in Riverside, California, where Pasillas and another individual, Juan Manuel Cebreros, 55, were subsequently apprehended in connection to the investigation.
Pasillas, along with Cebreros, faces grave charges including solicitation for murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and assault with a deadly weapon, as stated by the Riverside Police Department. The incident dates back to October 21, when the victim, whose identity remains undisclosed, sustained gunshot wounds during an assault while driving in the Orangecrest neighborhood of Riverside.
According to reports, the victim recounted being attacked by individuals from another vehicle while driving along Plainview Street, resulting in multiple gunshot injuries. Following this incident, law enforcement officers discovered evidence of the shooting at the intersection of Plainview Street and Grove Community Drive. Despite the severity of the attack, the victim survived and sought medical assistance.
The investigation, spearheaded by robbery-homicide detectives, uncovered troubling details suggesting a premeditated murder-for-hire scheme. It was revealed that the targeted victim was romantically involved with Pasillas’ daughter, linking the motive to familial discord. Pasillas, who serves as a pastor at the Centro Internacional de Oración, a Spanish-speaking church in Victorville, allegedly engaged in clandestine meetings with hired individuals, providing them with crucial information about the victim’s whereabouts prior to the assault.
Further revelations from the police department disclosed Pasillas’ substantial financial involvement, amounting to nearly $40,000, in addition to surveillance activities conducted on the victim leading up to the attack. Subsequent to the arrests, search warrants were executed at various residences in Victorville, Long Beach, and Lynwood, California, on March 13.
Both Pasillas and Cebreros currently remain in custody at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside, each held on $1 million bonds. Scheduled court appearances for both individuals are slated for March 26 at the Riverside Hall of Justice. Despite these developments, the Riverside Police Department has yet to elaborate on the specific evidence tying Pasillas to the perpetrators involved in the shooting.
