Felon Suspected in Altercation Outside Motel in Rancho Mirage to Stand Trial

INDIO (CNS) – A 32-year-old felon suspected of punching and grabbing his ex-girlfriend by the neck outside a motel room in Rancho Mirage must stand trial on felony charges, a judge ruled Friday.

Adalberto Raygoza of Cathedral City was charged with one felony count each of attempted murder, kidnapping, inflicting corporal injury on a spouse, assault on a person causing great bodily harm and false imprisonment, according to court records.

During a preliminary hearing Friday at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, Deputy District Attorney James Graff-Radford presented video footage from outside of the motel room, in which Raygoza is seen allegedly hitting the victim on the ground and putting his hands near her face as she attempts to kick and fight back. The defendant walked away and returned before allegedly grabbing the victim and taking her back into the motel room he was staying in.

Riverside County Sheriff Department deputy Adrienne Morrow testified that he responded May 30, 2022, to a call from a man at Motel 6 in Rancho Mirage saying he heard what sounded like a man and woman fighting above his room. When he responded to the scene, he spoke with the victim who had a bruise on her left eye.

"She told me that she was socked by Raygoza. She stated that Raygoza accused her of hanging out with a group of other individuals … in Cathedral City," Morrow alleged. "She said that she was grabbed by the neck for approximately 30 seconds. … she said he was calling her a (expletive) and to just die."

Morrow also testified that he did not find Raygoza at the motel the day of the altercation.

Toward the end of the preliminary hearing, Raygoza’s defense attorney Christopher DeSalva argued that attempted murder was an overcharge for the alleged altercation, claiming that there was lack of evidence to prove that the defendant had malicious intent to kill the victim. Graff-Radford countered that the statement "just die" was a manifestation of intent so the defendant should be held to answer on the count.

At the end of the preliminary hearing, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Anthony Villalobos discharged the attempted murder count and found that there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial for Raygoza on the remaining charges.

A post-preliminary hearing arraignment was set for May 18 at the Larson Justice Center in Indio.

After a warrant was issued for Raygoza’s arrest, he was found Sept. 8, 2022, running by the railroad tracks near Bob Hope Drive and Ramon Road, according to Sgt. Dave Morton with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. He was chased on foot and arrested.

As he was being apprehended, an unoccupied patrol vehicle that was parked near the railroad tracks was damaged by a passing train, according to Morton.

Raygoza remains held at the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio on a $1 million bail bond, according to inmate records.

Raygoza has prior convictions in Riverside County for possession of controlled substances, resisting arrest, and inflicting corporal injury on a spouse, according to court records.

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