Woman Who Gunned Down Spouse in Hemet Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison

A 43-year-old woman who gunned down her husband at their Hemet home and then attempted to make a run for the border was sentenced Thursday to 16 years in state prison. Beatriz Navarrete Torres pleaded guilty earlier this month during a hearing at the Banning Justice Center, admitting one count of voluntary manslaughter and a sentence-enhancing gun-use allegation. In exchange for her admissions, the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office dropped a murder charge. Superior Court Judge Timothy Hollenhorst certified the terms of the plea deal and imposed the sentence stipulated by the prosecution and defense. According to Hemet police Lt. Eddie Pust, officers were called to the home of 41-year-old Hector Navarrete in the 900 block of Silver Dust Trail, near Fruitvale Avenue, about 6:20 a.m. on July 2, 2018, to investigate reports of a shooting. Pust said that Navarrete was found gravely wounded in the house and pronounced dead a short time later by paramedics. Detectives immediately suspected Torres was the perpetrator and that the shooting happened because of an unspecified dispute between the couple. Alerts were issued to surrounding police agencies regarding the circumstances, as well as the woman’s description and vehicle, according to Pust. He said law enforcement officials in Imperial County located and arrested Torres as she was preparing to drive across the border into Mexico. The defendant had no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County. She will be required to serve a minimum of 13.5 years behind bars before she’s eligible for parole.