Benjamin Chanes was 24 and described by friends and family as a generous, outgoing artist and singer with a contagious smile. On the afternoon of March 6, 2022, he and his girlfriend stopped after exiting the freeway in Riverside. Four armed men ordered Benjamin from the car, then forced the couple into different vehicles and drove them to the couple’s apartment in the 2400 block of Iowa Avenue. Inside, the men pushed the girlfriend into a closet and ransacked the home while demanding money. Benjamin attempted to flee; one of the suspects shot him in the back on the sidewalk. He was taken to a hospital and died of his injuries. The suspects fled in the couple’s vehicle, which was later recovered in San Bernardino.

Riverside Police detectives identified four suspects from surveillance and other leads. Arrests began in September 2022 and continued into February 2023: Anthony Wright, Qevon Xavier Harvey, Trezell Lamone Heckard, and Kahlin Cynque Erwin were charged with murder, kidnapping, carjacking, and home-invasion robbery. Trezell Lamone Heckard was convicted of first-degree murder and related counts with a special circumstance of killing during a burglary; Qevon Xavier Harvey’s trial ended in a mistrial. Does anyone have information about Benjamin or the events around March 6, 2022 that could help investigators?