Corona Police closed off Lincoln Avenue at the 91 Freeway on Nov. 24, 2009 to investigate a fatal shooting. Tuesday, 27-year-old Carlos Reynaga was charged with murder in the case.
"Some cases are 48 hours, you solve them. And then there's cases like this one, where it presented a lot of challenges," said Corona Police Detective John Samano.
All police would say in 2009 was that it was an apparent case of road rage that started on the 91 Freeway and ended with the victim's Jeep slamming into the side of a hotel.
Inside that vehicle, Ignacio Duarte of Ontario, was found shot to death.
Police say witnesses of little help at the time, telling so many different stories about what they apparently saw. There wasn't a very good description of the suspect vehicle.
"We might run certain individuals that we might be familiar with that had that type of vehicle," said Samano. "A lot of times too maybe it helps to have a partial plate. We run it and compare it to other vehicles that might be in the area."
It turned out their suspect was already behind bars: Carlos Reynaga was arrested two months ago on unrelated marijuana charges.
Police aren't saying exactly what happened on the freeway between the suspect and the victim, only that it was road rage, and the two did not know each other.
"It's like finding a needle in a haystack: You sort out through all the debris, find out your facts, trace back what you can with those facts that may lead you to an unopened door," said Samano.
