Sponsored message
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

Police Link Man Found Shot In Car To Three Bodies Found In Burning SUV

Truth matters. Community matters. Your support makes both possible. LAist is one of the few places where news remains independent and free from political and corporate influence. Stand up for truth and for LAist. Make your year-end tax-deductible gift now.

A man who was found shot dead in a car in Fontana is related to the deaths of three others who were found in a burning SUV in Orange, investigators say.

On November 9, the bodies of three men were discovered inside a burning SUV that was seen drifting down the 500 block of East Oakmont Avenue in Orange. Six days later, police say they found another body in the backseat of a car in Fontana, KTLA reports.

Police identified the victim as Joel Berrelleza, who had been reported missing on November 9. Berrelleza was the brother of one of the men found dead in the SUV, Edgar Berrelleza-Soto.

Court documents indicate that the three victims in the burning SUV—which included Antonio Medina and Fernando Meza in addition to Edgar Berrelleza-Soto—were shot and at least one of them was bound.

Medina and Meza told friends in Arizona, where they both lived, that they were going to California and would be back that night, according to the Press Enterprise. Police found Medina and Meza's wallets with their Arizona licenses, as well as Berrelleza-Soto's wallet, which contained Mexican identification cards and $900. Berrelleza also asked a woman if she would drive his brother's car to Mexico earlier that morning.

Police are still still looking for multiple suspects, including the driver of the SUV who was seen jumping out of the SUV and into the backseat of a small black car.

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive before year-end will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible year-end gift today

A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right