Jury selection got underway this week at the Larson Justice Center in Indio for the long-delayed murder trial of James “Chip” Milton Nathaniel, a 39-year-old Beaumont resident accused of gunning down 35-year-old Apolonio Carranza during a predawn confrontation more than a decade ago. The case is among Riverside County's oldest unresolved murder prosecutions, and opening statements are expected as soon as Thursday.
Nathaniel is charged with first-degree murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm, witness intimidation, and spousal abuse, along with sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations, according to MyNewsLA.com. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Otis Sterling summoned multiple panels of prospective jurors, who were screened for availability and qualifications on Monday; pretrial motions had begun the previous week. Nathaniel remains held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Benoit Detention Center.
According to the outlet's reporting, the shooting unfolded on April 19, 2015, after Nathaniel and Carranza visited a house in the 43000 block of Kenya Drive in Indio. An argument broke out between the two men, and per the arrest warrant declaration, Carranza challenged Nathaniel to race for the pink slips to their SUVs before ramming Nathaniel's Porsche SUV. Nathaniel then allegedly opened fire with a handgun on Carranza as he sat inside his Nissan Murano, according to the affidavit.
A Dozen Shots Fired at Close Range
Police alleged that a dozen shots were fired at close range, killing Carranza at the scene. Nathaniel allegedly drove away in his SUV afterward, and witnesses called 911, with patrol officers arriving less than 10 minutes later. His identity was publicized four days after the shooting, and he was taken into custody without incident in San Bernardino on May 21, 2015.
Investigative records add further detail to the scene: officers found a large quantity of methamphetamine packaged in small bindles consistent with drug sales inside Carranza's SUV following the shooting, according to Palm Desert Patch. The same reporting notes that Nathaniel was apprehended by local San Bernardino police working alongside a U.S. Marshals task force, and that officers recovered a handgun during his arrest — though it was determined not to be the murder weapon. Bail was listed at $2 million in June 2015 and $1 million in 2026.
A Familiar Crime and an Early Release
Court records show Nathaniel had been serving a 10-year prison sentence stemming from a 2005 attack in which a motorist was shot in Indio, the same kind of crime he now stands accused of repeating. That sentence was reduced for technical reasons at an April 2014 hearing, and per the same account, Nathaniel was released from prison in early spring 2014 — putting him on parole for less than a year before Carranza's death.
Ahead of trial, the case has experienced repeated delays attributed to changes in Nathaniel's counsel, along with ongoing requests for dismissals from the defense. Court hearings have also addressed defense access to law enforcement officers' confidential records, a process known as a Pitchess motion. Under California Evidence Code sections 1043 through 1045, a defendant seeking such records must establish good cause before a judge conducts a private, in-camera review, as explained by the Law Offices of David S. Chesley.
A Decade-Long Wait Rooted in Court Backlogs
The years-long delay in bringing Nathaniel to trial reflects broader strain on Riverside County's court system. The Association of Riverside County Chiefs of Police and Sheriff reported that county Superior Court judges had dismissed more than 1,000 backlogged criminal cases due to a severe shortage of available trial courtrooms and judicial officers. Under appellate precedent in People v. Engram, general court congestion does not by itself constitute legal good cause to delay a trial beyond the deadlines set in Penal Code Section 1382, according to a Senate Committee on Public Safety analysis.
The charges against Nathaniel include first-degree murder and a sentence-enhancing gun allegation.
Nathaniel is currently held at the Benoit Detention Center in Indio. With jury selection now underway and opening statements anticipated as soon as Thursday, the case is finally moving toward resolution after more than a decade of delay.
