LOS ANGELES, CA – Five men have been arrested in connection with a murder-for-hire plot that led to the fatal shooting of a 44-year-old woman in San Bernardino, authorities announced Tuesday. Investigators say the killing was orchestrated amid a contentious divorce between the victim and one of the suspects.
The victim, Yesenia Torres, was shot multiple times outside a restaurant in broad daylight on January 10, 2025. Surveillance footage shows her walking to her vehicle in the parking lot of Burger Point when a car pulled up behind her. The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Gerardo Llamas, exited the vehicle and confronted Torres, taking her purse while armed. Witnesses attempted to intervene but were fired upon.
Authorities said a total of nine rounds were fired at Torres, with one round jamming as she attempted to fight back. She tried to run around her vehicle and into the restaurant for safety, but Llamas pursued her and continued to fire. Torres was struck multiple times and collapsed near the entrance. She was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
Witnesses provided authorities with crucial information, including a description of the suspect’s vehicle and a license plate number. Investigators later found the vehicle abandoned in a Walmart parking lot on the east side of town. Surveillance footage from the store showed the suspects entering the building, changing their clothes, and then fleeing in another car.
Within hours, law enforcement identified Llamas as the shooter and 54-year-old Arnoldo Ruelas as the getaway driver. Surveillance teams tracked Llamas to Bakersfield and Ruelas to Los Angeles. Evidence collected from the vehicle used in the killing led authorities to additional suspects.
Officials said further investigation revealed that a third suspect, Reynaldo Ruelas, was Arnoldo Ruelas’ brother. Reynaldo was connected to Juan Perez, an employee at a San Bernardino pellet company owned by Torres and her ex-husband, Sergio Revelas. Authorities believe Revelas orchestrated the killing, allegedly hiring the suspects to carry out the attack.
On January 16, arrest warrants were issued for Llamas and Ruelas. Teams in Bakersfield and the FBI executed the warrant at Llamas’ residence, while undercover officers simultaneously moved in on Ruelas in Los Angeles. A week later, on January 21, law enforcement took both Ruelas brothers and Llamas into custody. Perez and Revelas were arrested weeks later, on February 13.
San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson confirmed that all five suspects are facing charges related to Torres’ murder. Prosecutors have filed special circumstance allegations against each defendant, including charges of murder, financial gain, lying in wait, and committing the crime during a robbery.
Authorities have not ruled out additional charges as the investigation continues.
