Riverside County homicide detectives say they finally put handcuffs on a Bermuda Dunes man on July 24, tying him to a cold-case shooting that left a 17-year-old dead in La Quinta more than two decades ago. Authorities identified the suspect as 40-year-old Eddie Zazueta, who was taken into custody without incident and booked on a murder charge. Investigators say the arrest came after a fresh review of the original case file and new follow-up work by homicide detectives.
According to a news release from the Riverside County Sheriff's Office, deputies were called out on July 5, 2004, at about 4:26 a.m. to the 52400 block of Avenida Obregon in La Quinta, where they found 17-year-old Daniel Medina suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Medina was rushed to a nearby hospital but later died from his injuries, the release states. Detectives at the time developed a person of interest, yet said there was not enough evidence to move forward, and the case eventually went cold.
Follow-up probe led to the arrest
Investigators say renewed work on the case turned up additional evidence that identified the suspect as Eddie Zazueta, who would have been 18 at the time of the shooting. Zazueta was located and arrested on July 24 with help from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Gang Impact Team and was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility, as reported by CBS Los Angeles. Officials say the investigation is still active while detectives continue to chase down leads.
What happens next
The sheriff's office says it is not releasing further details for now and is urging anyone with information to contact Master Investigator Robertson or Deputy Lucifora at (951) 955-2777, per the news release. The arrest is described as the latest example of Riverside County's Regional Cold Case Homicide Team re-examining long-unsolved killings using updated tools and forensic techniques, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office. Family members and neighbors did not immediately comment, and officials say no additional court actions have been announced.
