Suspect in 2002 La Quinta Murder Arrested

LA QUINTA (CNS) - A La Quinta man suspected of fatally shooting a 27-
year-old man during a 2002 house party in La Quinta was behind bars today
following a decades-long cold case investigation.
  

Alex Anthony Uribe, 46, was arrested Friday and booked into the Benoit
Detention Center in Indio on suspicion of murder, according to the
Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
  

On Aug. 11, 2002, deputies responded to a report of a collision near
the intersection of Avenida Mendoza and Calle Durango at about 4:15 a.m. They
found a motorist inside a vehicle who had sustained gunshot wounds, and was
pronounced dead at the scene.
  

The agency said an altercation occurred at a house party in the 52200
block of Avenida Mendoza, and Hernan Marquez of Indio was shot as he was
leaving the residence, according to sheriff's Sgt. Jarred Bishop.
  

Bishop said Marquez drove away from the area ``at a high rate of
speed, eventually losing control of his vehicle and colliding with several
parked vehicles.''
  

After a lengthy investigation, no arrests were made and the case went
cold for more than 20 years. It was reopened after investigators ``identified
several potential leads and follow-up tasks, aided by advancements in forensic
testing,'' Bishop said.
  

Uribe was identified as the sole suspect in the shooting, with
assistance from the Riverside County District Attorney's Office Gang Impact
Team.

Uribe is scheduled to appear at the Larson Justice Center in Indio on Tuesday.
  

The investigation remains ongoing, and anyone with additional
Information was asked to call 951-955-2777.
  

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