Peter James "Pete" Ruiz-Cadriel was a teenage boy who was found murdered in Phoenix, Arizona on August 24, 1998. He was identified in 2009 through DNA analysis. In 2013, his friend Israel Lomeli was charged with second-degree murder in this case and was convicted of manslaughter.
Case[]
Pete Ruiz-Cadriel was born on March 1, 1981, in Contra Costa County, California. Growing up, he had a younger sister, Ruth, and a younger brother, Abraham. His father, Ramon, had described him as a "little rebel." He was last seen on July 17, 1998, in the vicinity of 70th Avenue and Almeria Road in Phoenix.
On August 24, 1998, law enforcement was notified of a decomposing body found in an alley behind Brunswick Bowling Alley at 7241 West Indian School. The cause of death was homicide by shotgun blast. In 2009, using the latest DNA techniques, law enforcement identified the body as Pete's using blood and DNA evidence from the crime scene. After he was identified, a new homicide investigation followed. They were able to locate witnesses, including one who claimed to have helped Israel Lomeli, who was 16 at the time of the murder, move a garbage can back in 1998 that Lomeli said contained Pete's body. Other witnesses said that Lomeli was seen washing the concrete floor at his house's garage (which operated as his bedroom too) at the time, which seemed unusual.
When Lomeli was questioned, he denied knowledge of Pete's murder and thought he ran away to California. However, forensics found evidence that blood was cleaned up at the garage where the murder supposedly took place. In March 2013, Lomeli was arrested at his mother's home for second-degree murder and possession of methamphetamine.
Grave
Law enforcement speculated that the murder occurred during an argument between Lomeli and Pete over stolen goods. In July 1998, the two and two other friends allegedly burglarized a Phoenix residence and stole vintage firearms and a coin collection. The two argued over how the goods would be distributed, and Lomeli shot him with the shotgun.
Alternatively, Lomeli stated that he killed Pete by accident. Supposedly, the friends were horsing around with the shotgun while getting drunk or high, and not realizing it was loaded, Lomeli pulled the trigger. After Pete was killed, Lomeli panicked and disposed of the body, where it was later found.
In November 2013, Lomeli accepted a plea deal following a grand jury indictment on a lesser charge of manslaughter. On December 20, 2013, Lomeli was sentenced to one year of probation and one year in county jail. Due to the time he had already served, he was released on March 20, 2014.
Pete is buried in Lot 3 of the White Tanks Cemetery in Goodyear, Arizona.
Sources[]
- AZCentral (archived)
- Pete Ruiz-Cadriel at Find a Grave
- Phoenix New Times: