RivCo Court Cases: Prowler Pleads Guilt, Convenience Store Murder, Customs Fraud

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — The Riverside Court system is busy this week as cases were heard from Indio to the Riverside Hall of Justice, and the Murrieta Southwest Justice Center.

In Riverside, jury selection was expected to begin Thursday in the case of a felon accused of ambushing and killing a neighbor and seriously wounding her friend during a vehicle-to-vehicle attack in Hemet.

Brian Kevin Kumpe, 42, of Hemet, allegedly killed Pamela Daniels during a 2021 shooting on North Elk Street, near Devonshire Avenue. He is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder, special circumstance allegations of lying in wait and killing a victim in a drive-by, being a felon in possession of a loaded gun, and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

The case has been tied up in pretrial motions for most of the month, but Riverside County Superior Court Judge Matthew Perantoni was expected to summon several panels of prospective jurors to the Riverside Hall of Justice on Thursday for screening as to their availability and qualifications.

Kumpe is being held without bail at the Smith Correctional Facility.

Another jury selection was in process at the Riverside Hall of Justice for the case of a convicted felon accused of fatally shooting his partner and burying the victim's remains in a Mead Valley field, where they remained hidden for almost a year.

Ricardo Pardo, 41, of Perris allegedly gunned down 27-year-old Joshua Crosier of Hemet in 2021. He is charged with first-degree murder and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

Pretrial motions in the case wrapped up Tuesday, and Riverside County Superior Court Judge Jason Armand summoned multiple panels of prospective jurors to the Riverside Hall of Justice on Wednesday for screening as to their availability and qualifications.
Pardo is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail.
According to a trial brief filed by the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, Pardo and Crosier were sometime partners in an underground selling operation that involved stolen property, mostly guns and electronics, including aerial drones.

Detectives procured evidence pointing to Pardo as the alleged assailant, and he was arrested without incident on July 28, 2022. The victim's remains were recovered less than a week later.

An autopsy revealed Crosier had been shot point-blank through the forehead with a sawed-off shotgun.

A trial of two men accused of murdering a Cathedral City convenience store owner during an armed robbery, being held at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, is still underway, with the prosecution expected to rest next week.

Charles Lamar Campbell of Beaumont and Joel Ortiz Hidalgo of Desert Hot Springs, both 23, allegedly conspired in the 2021 slaying of 61-year-old Chris Sgouromitis of Cathedral City.

Both men are charged with first-degree murder, attempted robbery and a special circumstance allegation of killing in the course of a robbery. Campbell is additionally charged with sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.

Testimony got underway Tuesday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio before two juries -- one for each defendant.

Each man is being held without bail at the Benoit Detention Center.

In Murrieta's Southwest Justice Center, a preliminary hearing was underway for a Menifee man caught in the act of prowling Menifee apartment complexes. Authorities say he was attempting to commit burglaries. However, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges.

Irving William Firtha Morrison of Menifee admitted one count each of trespassing and battery. The admissions came just as Morrison's case was called for a preliminary hearing at the Southwest Justice Center on Thursday. Riverside County Superior Court Judge John Monterosso indicated he intended to dismiss a first-degree burglary count in exchange for Morrison's admissions.

The judge scheduled a sentencing hearing for May 15 at the Murrieta courthouse. Morrison is free on a $35,000 bond.

According to the Menifee Police Department, detectives initiated an investigation in early September 2024 after receiving reports of an unknown man clad in dark clothing, roaming through apartment buildings in the predawn hours, grabbing door handles and pushing on doors to find ones that weren't locked.