Woman, husband, son accused of killing her lover
SANTA ROSA, Calif. -- A northern California woman, her husband and her 20-year-old son are accused of killing her lover after the men discovered the affair and she arranged the deadly encounter, authorities in California said.
The body of Antonio Botello-Arreola, 25, was found down a ravine along a creek outside Santa Rosa, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported.
Maria Torres, 40, allegedly arranged to have her husband, Rene Espinoza, Sr., 40, and their son, Rene Espinoza, Jr., 20, follow the couple Friday as they drove to a pullout outside Santa Rosa, Sonoma County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Crum said.
After Torres exited the car, her husband and her son pulled up in another vehicle and someone shot into the driver's side at Botello-Arreola, Crum said.
Botello-Arreola was shot and fled out the passenger side and ran to the ravine. He was found there dead Saturday after the California Highway Patrol discovered the vehicle riddled with bullet holes and blood and notified the sheriff's office, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Detectives interviewed the Lake County family and learned that Torres had been in "a lengthy romantic relationship with the victim," Crum said.
"Maria's husband and son recently became aware of this relationship and didn't approve," he added.
Sonoma County deputies connected Torres to the shooting after finding evidence from a motel inside the van and identifying her through check-in information and surveillance video, Crum said.
Torres, her husband and their son are scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday on suspicion of murder and conspiracy charges.
"All three of the family members acted in concert in the homicide," the sheriff's office said in a statement released to the Los Angeles Times.
Crum said he didn't know if the family had retained a defense attorney.
