Authorities release details in case of Pomona man linked to three killings

A Pomona man charged in connection with a September gang killing and linked to two additional killings is expected to be arraigned Tuesday on murder charges.

Robert Louis Caballero, 32, was charged Oct. 30 in connection to the Sept. 29 shooting death of Armando Vidana, 25, of Pomona, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

In the hours after Caballero was arrested Saturday by Pomona police, investigators learned the locations of two additional victims whose killings are believed to be tied to Caballero, said Steve Whitmore, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

"We do believe they're related," Whitmore said.

Authorities identified the two additional victims as El Monte native David Arthur Padilla Jr., 29, whose body was found under a Chino freeway overpass, and 32-year-old Lorraine Minjarez of Covina. Minjarez's body was buried along Mt. Baldy Road near mile marker 1.34.

Multiple police sources declined to specify how authorities learned of the two additional victims.

Vidana was shot multiple times after 3 a.m. Sept. 29 in the 600 Block of Illinois Street, and later died at a local hospital.

Investigators linked Caballero to the shooting after witnesses told police that prior Vidana's death, Caballero told people he was going to kill him, said Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Bjorn Dodd, who filed the case against Caballero.

Caballero and Vidana were members of rival gangs, and Caballero's motive in the killing was related to the gang rivalry, Dodd said.

Three days after the killing, on Oct. 2, police located Caballero and his girlfriend, 20-year-old Jessica Renee Prendiz of Pomona, Dodd said.

Caballero and Prendiz ran from police, and as they fled Prendiz discarded the weapon allegedly used to kill Vidana, Dodd said.

Prendiz was arrested Oct. 2 and has been charged with an accessory to murder after the fact. She remains jailed in lieu of $500,000 bail and is next due in Pomona Superior Court on Nov. 24.

At about 1 a.m. Saturday, Pomona police attempted to pull over Caballero for a traffic violation in the area of Holt Avenue and Reservoir Street, according to a Pomona police news release.

Rather than pull over, Caballero led officers on a brief pursuit into Montclair. His silver Dodge Charger crashed into a light pole at Pradera Avenue and Granada Street and Caballero attempted to flee on foot before he was arrested, police said.

Caballero reportedly had a passenger in the car when he led officers on the pursuit. The identity of the passenger and the passenger's relationship to Caballero remains unclear.

Before sunset on Saturday, authorities had recovered the bodies of Padilla and Minjarez.

Padilla, a reputed El Monte gang member whose last known address was in Pomona, was found at about noon in the 3800 block of Walnut Avenue in Chino under a 60 Freeway overpass.

His family members told a reporter for ABC-7 that he was last seen at home on Thursday.

And at 4 p.m. authorities recovered the body of Minjarez. Early evidence indicated she was strangled, and suffered slash wounds to her neck, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office.

Caballero remains jailed in lieu of $3 million bail at the Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles. He is expected to be arraigned Tuesday morning in Pomona Superior Court.

A man who lives next to Caballero's parents in a Mira Loma senior-housing complex said this afternoon that he remembered Caballero as a nice, pleasant person.

"I've never seen Robbie angry or anything," said Jerry Edwards, a 65-year-old retiree. Edwards said Caballero used to live at his parents' home in Mira Loma, but he said he hadn't seen Caballero there lately.

"I think he's a nice guy, you know," Edwards said. "They moved out of Pomona because of the gangs."

In its criminal complaint, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office alleged Caballero has two prior felony convictions.

In March 1996, he was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in San Luis Obispo County, according to the complaint. And in April 2003 he was convicted in San Bernardino County of resisting arrest.

Staff Writers Thomas Himes and Lori Consalvo contributed to this report.