5 Arrests Made for 6 Shot Dead in Mojave Desert Following Marijuana Grow Dispute

 "Socalj" for Borderland Beat

5 arrests have been made several days after 6 bodies were found in a remote desert area near the San Bernardino County community of El Mirage, authorities said Monday.

Several of the arrests were made on a compound of a marijuana grow facility that was being built but wasn’t active yet. Authorities suspect that a conflict related to marijuana cultivation led to the murders.

On Tuesday, January 23, 2024, at approximately 8:16 p.m., Sheriff’s Dispatch received a 911 call from 22-year-old victim Franklin Noel Bonilla. Franklin stated he had been shot but was unable to give his location.

"Dispatchers received a 911 call from a subject who spoke Spanish. The caller told dispatchers that he was shot, but he did not know the location he was at," Warrick said. The call ended before they could get further information, but the dispatchers were able to trace the phone's location to where the bodies were found.

Sheriff’s Dispatch determined the call was made from the area of Lessing Ave. and Shadow Mountain Rd. in the unincorporated area of Adelanto. Due to the remote location, SBSD requested assistance from the CHP, who lent a helicopter airship to their search.

"Once overhead the area, officers discovered a crime scene and what appeared to be multiple gunshot wound victims, two vehicles, and one of the vehicles ... had multiple gunshot strikes in it," Warrick said.

They found the bodies of 4 males, all of whom were severely burned, a body inside of one of the two cars. A short time later, Franklin, the sixth victim was located deceased nearby.

The 6 victims were all listed as Hispanic males and three names were released. The victims were reported to be Baldemar Mondragon-Albarran, a 34-year-old from Adelanto, Franklin Noel Bonilla, a 22-year-old resident of Hesperia, and Kevin Dariel Bonilla, a 25-year-old of Hesperia.

Two victims are currently unidentified and one 45-year-old's name was not released pending next of kin notification. Sheriff Dicus said a couple of the people identified in terms of the victims may be from Honduras. “We're working with the consulate to make that determination,” Dicus said referring to their legal status.

Through extensive investigation, investigators determined the victims had arranged to meet at the location for a marijuana transaction. The five suspects had arrived at the location and for reasons still under investigation, shot the six victims.

The five suspects have been identified as Apple Valley and Adelanto residents Toniel Baez-Duarte, 34, Mateo Baez-Duarte, 24, Jose Nicolas Hernandez-Sarabia, 33, Jose Gregorio Hernandez-Sabaria, 34, and Jose Manual Burgos Parra, 26.

On Sunday, January 28, 2024, the suspects were located and arrested. All suspects were booked for PC 187-Murder and are being held without bail. "We are confident we have arrested all the suspects in this case," Warrick said. "They are currently in custody with no bail."

Brothers Arrested

The apprehension of brothers Toniel Baez Duarte and Mateo Baez Duarte included a dramatic scene recounted by neighborhood eyewitness Deanne Rodarmel. A Sheriff's SWAT team announced demands over a loudspeaker in both English and Spanish for the brothers to come out of their residence unarmed. At the time of the announcement, the suspects were not present at the location.

The older of the two brothers, Toniel, 34, a laborer by trade, was captured around 2:00 PM near the Pearblossom Highway’s intersection with Highway 138 in Los Angeles County, not far from his home. He was booked at High Desert Detention Center without bail.

His brother Mateo, 9 years his junior and self-employed, was detained around the same a short later in Adelanto.

Illicit Marijuana Cultivation

"As far as the motives, we are confident that this appears to be a dispute over marijuana, which resulted in the murders," Warrick said. "Through extensive investigation ... on Sunday, January 28, 2023, we were able to search multiple search warrants in the town of Apple Valley, Adelanto, and the Los Angeles County area of Pinon Hills."

Multiple search warrants were served during the investigation, and several firearms and additional evidence were located. Several of the arrests were made on a compound of a marijuana grow facility that was being built but wasn’t active yet.

San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus claimed, "Illicit marijuana is the driving force behind these murders."

"I think we need to acknowledge really why we're here and why we're talking about illegal marijuana," he added. "This is the area that’s known for illicit marijuana," Dicus said. "Based on our training and experience, we believe a lot of these things occurring may be related to much bigger things going on."

Amid his public statement, he criticized Proposition 64, a 2016 law that legalized recreational use of cannabis by people 21 and older. However, it also reduced the punishment for marijuana-related offenses. This has led to a large black market for marijuana in the state.

“In the last year, the Sheriff’s marijuana enforcement teams served a total of 411 search warrants for illegal marijuana grows. Were just talking 365 days. Discovered 14 honey oil labs, recovered 655,000 marijuana plants, 74,000 lbs. of processed marijuana, and $370 million. During that period our teams served 11 search warrants in the immediate area where the murders took place.

They served approximately 40 search warrants to the west of that area that we call the Shadow Mountain Area. So this is an area known for illicit marijuana,” stated Dicus, adding “It looks like illicit marijuana was the driving force behind these murders, and that’s all we really know at this point.”

Sources ABC7, SBC Sheriff, CBS News, VVNG