Freddy Morales, a 21-year-old resident of Cathedral City, was found dead in the driveway of a home on Sixth Street in Desert Hot Springs on March 27, 2017. His death was the result of a homicide, and his body was discovered early in the morning. The circumstances surrounding his death were initially unclear, and no suspects were immediately identified.
The investigation into Morales' death took a significant turn when it was linked to another homicide that occurred just two days later on
the same street. On March 29, 2017, Jose Gabriel Madrigal Vargas was found dead inside a home on Sixth Street. Orlando Archuleta, a friend of Morales, was later identified as the suspect in Vargas' killing. Archuleta believed that Vargas was involved in Morales' death and sought revenge. On the night of March 29, Archuleta, along with another suspect, confronted Vargas and shot him multiple times. During the confrontation, a second individual inside the home returned fire, wounding Archuleta.
Archuleta initially denied involvement in the shooting, but evidence, including DNA recovered from the scene, eventually linked him to the crime. He was arrested and charged with second-degree murder for the killing of Vargas. In November 2018, Archuleta was convicted and subsequently sentenced to 30 years to life in prison. The court also ordered him to pay restitution to Vargas' family.
Despite the conviction of Archuleta for the retaliatory killing of Vargas, no suspects have been officially identified or charged in connection with the death of Freddy Morales. The investigation into Morales' murder remains open, with authorities continuing to seek information and leads that could bring those responsible to justice.
