A shocking video has emerged showing a wealthy businesswoman from California being pursued around her vehicle before being fatally shot in a parking lot. Authorities have described the incident as a contract killing, allegedly arranged by the woman’s estranged husband amidst a bitter divorce.
The victim, 44-year-old Yesenia “Jessica” Torres, was ambushed and shot outside a restaurant in San Bernardino on January 10. Detective Dominick Martinez has linked the murder to her ongoing divorce from 53-year-old Sergio Reveles, with whom she was battling over assets worth millions.
The video footage reveals the assailant, identified by police as 31-year-old Gerardo Llamas-Torres, emerging from an SUV and approaching Torres as she was getting into her Mercedes G-Wagon. Despite being unarmed, Torres attempted to resist, and a bystander also tried to intervene, only to flee when the gunman began shooting. Torres was seen trying to escape around her vehicle, but the video was cut at the moment she was first hit.
Initially, police suspected a robbery as the motive, as the killer had taken Torres’ bag. However, they now believe that Llamas-Torres was one of four men hired by Reveles to murder his wife amid their acrimonious divorce. Detective Martinez stated that there is evidence to suggest that the suspects had been stalking Torres for several days and months before the murder, with the plot allegedly conceived over a year ago.
Following the shooting, Llamas-Torres and the alleged getaway driver, 54-year-old Arnoldo Ruelas, reportedly fled to an abandoned Walmart parking lot on the other side of the city. They then switched vehicles, entering a car driven by Ruelas’ younger brother, Reynaldo Ruelas, 37.
The three men were arrested on January 16, but initially, investigators struggled to link them to Torres. Later, detectives discovered that Reynaldo Ruelas worked at a pallet business located on a property owned by Torres and Reveles. Ruelas is believed to have acted as a go-between for Reveles and his business partner, 42-year-old Juan Perez, who managed the pallet company.
Reveles and Perez were arrested on February 16. During the investigation, authorities seized over $286,000 in cash and multiple firearms related to the plot. San Bernardino Police Chief Darren Goodman described Torres as a well-known and respected figure in the community, who was actively involved in various city initiatives.
All five suspects have been charged with murder, robbery, financial gain, and lying in wait. They have all entered not guilty pleas and are scheduled to appear in court on March 14.