Man Charged with Murder in Suspected DUI Hit-And-Run that killed La Quinta Teen

The man accused of a DUI crash that killed a La Quinta teen is now facing murder charges.

Jose Villegas Orbe of Palm Springs was in court this morning, where his charges were upgraded from manslaughter to murder.

Orbe is accused of driving under the influence and fatally hitting14 year old Liam Cantu back in October, among other charges.

Riverside County Sheriff's investigators say the suspect, Villegas Orbe, was intoxicated the night of the crash. Orbe was allegedly involved in a prior hit and run earlier that evening, and was on probation for driving under the influence.

Riverside County Sheriff's website shows Villegas bring held with no bail at the moment.

He is scheduled to return to court on February 4th, 2026.

A memorial was held for Liam back in October, we spoke to Liam's parents after the accident occurred, that reporting can be found here.