The Riverside Sheriff’s Office has updated the public on the homicide investigation following an assault in Perris, where Giovanni Martinez, 30, was tragically pronounced dead at the scene from a gunshot wound. Raul Varela, 51, from Turlock, California, was arrested Saturday evening as the prime suspect in the killing. According to the Riverside Sheriff’s Office report, with a coordinated effort that included the District Attorney’s Office Gang Impact Team and the Riverside Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Bureau, Varela was apprehended in Mead Valley at approximately 7:00 p.m.
Varela is currently held at the Robert Presley Detention Center, charged with murder. Law enforcement officials are urging anyone with information to contact Master Investigator D. Robertson of the Central Homicide Unit at (951) 955-1777 or call Sheriff’s Dispatch at 951-776-1099. The initial response to the incident took place on August 7, when deputies from the Perris Sheriff’s Station found Martinez with a life-threatening injury around 8:49 p.m.; even though life-saving measures were attempted, he did not survive.
The Riverside Sheriff’s Media Information Bureau released a statement detailing the events that unfolded on Woodward Street and Elizabeth Street, where Martinez’s body was discovered. The Central Homicide Unit immediately took over the investigation and has been diligently working the case, leading to Varela’s capture. Investigation details were sparse at first, as authorities were in the process of notifying Martinez’s next of kin, and the suspect’s identity was still unknown…