On March 6, 2022, Benjamin Chanes, a 24-year-old resident of Riverside, California, tragically lost his life in a violent incident. The events unfolded when Chanes and his girlfriend were driving in the Riverside area. They were suddenly approached by four armed suspects who kidnapped them at gunpoint. The assailants forced the couple to return to their apartment, where they were subjected to a home invasion robbery.
During this harrowing ordeal, one of the suspects shot Chanes, inflicting a fatal wound. Despite being rushed to a local hospital, Chanes succumbed to his injuries shortly after the incident. His girlfriend, fortunately, was unharmed during the attack.
The Riverside Police Department, along with the Robbery-Homicide Unit and Forensics Unit, launched an extensive investigation into the case. They were supported by the Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner’s Office and the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office. Over the following months, detectives meticulously followed up on leads and reviewed surveillance footage, which eventually led to the identification of all four suspects involved in the crime.
In September 2022, the first two suspects were apprehended. Anthony Wright, a 30-year-old from Indio, California, was already in custody in San Bernardino County on unrelated robbery and kidnapping charges. He was subsequently transferred to the Robert Presley Detention Center. The second suspect, Qevon Xavier Harvey, a 25-year-old from Desert Hot Springs, was located and arrested by the METRO Team in the desert area and booked into the John Benoit Detention Center. The remaining two suspects were arrested in February 2023. Trezell Lamone Heckard, a 28-year-old from Vallejo, California, was apprehended in Contra Costa County and transferred to the Robert Presley Detention Center. Kahlin Cynque Erwin, also 28, from Pittsburg, California, was located in Carson County, Texas, and extradited to California, where he was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center.
All four suspects faced serious charges, including murder, kidnapping, carjacking, and home invasion robbery. Wright and Harvey were held without bail, while Heckard and Erwin were each held on a $1 million bail. The investigation into Chanes' death remains ongoing, with authorities continuing to seek additional information and leads related to the case.
