Riverside, California – A pastor in California was arrested after allegedly paying several men nearly $40,000 in a murder-for-hire plot against his daughter’s boyfriend, according to the Riverside Police Department.
Samuel Pasillas, a 47-year-old pastor at Centro Internacional de Oracion in Victorville, California, was charged in the October 2023 shooting of an unidentified man who was romantically linked to his daughter. The victim was shot several times inside his car while driving in the Orangecrest neighborhood of Riverside.
During the investigation, detectives uncovered evidence that Pasillas met with the men he hired and provided them with information about the victim, including his location on the evening of the shooting. Pasillas allegedly paid the men to conduct surveillance on the victim in the weeks leading up to the shooting.
The victim, who was struck several times in the shooting, managed to drive himself to a nearby hospital where he received treatment for the gunshots. He is reportedly still recovering from the incident after five months.
Pasillas was arrested and charged with solicitation for murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and assault with a deadly weapon. Another man, 55-year-old Juan Manuel Cebreros, believed to be one of the gunmen, was also arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
Both Pasillas and Cebreros are being held at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on $1 million bails. It was unclear how many other suspects were involved in the attempted murder.
Authorities have not revealed a motive for the murder-for-hire plot, but some speculate that Pasillas’ religious beliefs may have driven him to hire the hitmen. Pasillas has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In a separate incident, a former middle school principal in Missouri admitted to hiring a hitman to murder a teacher who was pregnant with his child. The former principal pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire charges for the 2016 killing of the teacher.
These cases shed light on the serious consequences of seeking illegal means to address personal grievances, highlighting the importance of resolving conflicts through legal and peaceful methods.