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Hemet teen's 'bonfire' murder trial set to start
The murder trial of a 19-year old Hemet man accused of killing another teenager two years ago is set to begin Tuesday in Riverside County. The man, Jose Campos, faces 50 years to life in prison if convicted of shooting and killing a schoolmate.
Campos is accused of shooting and killing 16-year-old Adrian Rios during an argument. Authorities say after the alleged murder, two friends helped Campos burn and dismember the body in a backyard fire pit. Rios’ disappearance was treated as a missing persons case until the victim’s mother found her son’s bloody shoe at the Campos home. Authorities later discovered human remains in the backyard.
Campos fled to Mexico with his girlfriend Felicia Sharp. Authorities tracked them down in the border town of Mexicali and brought them back to face charges. Sharp was charged as an accessory to murder and is being tried in juvenile court. She was 16 at the time of the killing.
The third boy, Ivan Ruiz, admitted that he helped Campos get rid of the body. Ruiz says he did it because he was afraid Campos would kill him too. He pleaded guilty to being an accessory and was sentenced to six months in county jail.