COACHELLA VALLEY, CA — A man accused of intentionally setting a fire that fatally injured a 43-year-old Coachella woman must stand trial for first-degree murder and other charges, a judge ruled Tuesday.
Richard Michael Carmona, 41, was arrested in December following an extensive investigation into the alleged arson attack that killed Arlene Danielle Avila.
At the end of a preliminary hearing at the Larson Justice Center in Indio Tuesday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Randolph Rogers found there was sufficient evidence to bound Carmona over for trial on the murder count and a special circumstance allegation of causing death by arson.
The judge scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Oct. 8. Carmona is being held without bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.
According to sheriff’s investigators, shortly after midnight last Oct. 31, the defendant allegedly ignited an outdoor fire in the 51000 block of Cesar Chavez Street, near 51st Street, to which Avila was directly exposed.
The specific circumstances were not disclosed, including a possible motive.
Carmona allegedly fled the scene, as witnesses called 911. Patrol deputies and firefighters reached the location within minutes and discovered the victim severely burned and the fire still raging in surrounding brush, authorities said.
The blaze was quickly knocked down, and Avila was airlifted to a regional trauma center, where she lingered in intensive care for weeks before succumbing to her injuries, according to court documents.
Central Homicide Unit detectives gathered sufficient evidence to obtain an arrest warrant for Carmona, who was taken into custody without incident on Christmas Eve.
Background information on the defendant was unavailable.
