Ex-deputy charged with murder of father of lover’s…

Justice: Luis Carlos Morin, 39, a father-of-four from California, was shot dead in 2014 by  Deputy Oscar Rodriguez, who now has been charged with murder 

A former Southern California sheriff’s deputy who was previously cleared of wrongdoing has been charged with murdering of the father of his lover’s children.

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office announced on Friday that former Deputy Oscar Rodriguez was arrested the previous day in connection to the 2014 shooting death of Luis Carlos Morin Jr.

Prosecutors had previously determined that Rodriguez had been justified in shooting Morin while attempting to arrest him on a warrant in Coachella on January 27, 2014.

Desert Sun reported that Rodriguez ambushed Morin, pinned him to the ground and shot him at point-blank range in front of the man’s mother.

Prosecutors say the deputy ambushed Morin outside his mother's home in Coachella (pictured) and shot him at point-blank range while serving a warrant 

Prosecutors say the deputy ambushed Morin outside his mother’s home in Coachella (pictured) and shot him at point-blank range while serving a warrant 

They said they reopened the case after learning through a civil lawsuit filed by Morin’s family that Rodriguez was part of a love triangle with 39-year-old Diana Perez, the mother of two of Morin’s four children.

In February 2016, the county reached a $7million settlement with the family in the wrongful death lawsuit.  

‘Based on additional information, we realized this was not an officer-involved shooting review, it was a murder investigation,’ the district attorney’s office said in a statement.

Rodriguez was scheduled to appear in court in Indio on Friday. Perez, who was also arrested Thursday, is scheduled to be arraigned on January 3 on a charge of being an accessory to murder.

Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin announces Rodriguez's arrest on Friday

Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin announces Rodriguez’s arrest on Friday

‘As the son of a law enforcement officer and a prosecutor for nearly 20 years, I know firsthand that the people who wear the badge are good people,’ District Attorney Mike Hestrin said. ‘They love and protect this community each and every day and can be trusted, but when someone violates that trust and abuses his power, that person will be held accountable – just like anyone else. No one is above the law.’ 

Both lovers were indicted by a grand jury in Riverside County. if convicted of murder, Rodriguez could be sentenced to life in prison. 

 



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