A man standing trial for killing of a Victorville woman and her two children and dumping their bodies in the desert in Apple Valley changed his pleas to guilty mid-trial on Wednesday.
Louis Gabriel Lucero, 42, pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, along with the special circumstance of multiple murders, Aug. 5, San Bernardino County Superior Court records show.
The change of plea took place a month into the trial, which began on July 6. Further proceedings in the case where scheduled for Monday, Aug. 17.
Lucero was accused of killing his 42-year-old girlfriend, Erlinda Villareal of Victorville, and her two sons, ages 9 and 12, on April 29, 2020.
‘Signs of a struggle’
Lucero, Villareal and the children lived at a home in the 15400 block of Ferndale Road, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department officials said at the time.
Deputies responded to a call at the home about 11 a.m. when they discovered “signs of a struggle,” according to a statement from the agency.
No was found at the home.
Bodies found in desert near Apple Valley
About 5:30 p.m. the same day, an off-roader called 911 to report discovering three bodies in a desert area near Waalew and Corwin roads in Apple Valley, sheriff’s officials said.
Investigators soon identified Lucero as a suspect in the killings.
“Detectives determined that the victims left the Ferndale Road home with Lucero and were murdered at an unknown location, then left in the desert area where they were found,” according to sheriff’s department statement.
Within hours, Lucero was found and apprehended after leading authorities on a high-speed pursuit in an stolen car, which ended in a crash, in the town of Red Cliff, Colorado.
He was extradited back to San Bernardino County to face trial.
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Man pleads guilty to killing Victorville woman, her two young children
Reporting by Brian Day, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brian Day, Victorville Daily Press | USA TODAY Network
