Monique Vega

Monique Vega, a 26-year-old female resident of Val Verde, California, was a loving mother to two daughters, a 10-year-old and a 10-month-old baby. Remembered by loved ones as a kind-hearted person who was always there for her family and friends, Monique had just celebrated her birthday two months before her life was cut short.

On October 23, 2022, Monique and a friend, 23-year-old Hector Ramos of La Quinta, were found deceased in a casita attached to a home on Avenue 52 in Coachella. Both had sustained significant trauma. According to Monique’s mother, her daughter had traveled to Coachella only days earlier to move into the residence, and Hector was there to help her.

The investigation began that same morning with a 911 call placed from Colma, a city in the San Francisco Bay Area. The caller provided police with information about two deceased victims in Coachella. Colma police relayed the tip to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, and deputies were dispatched to the Avenue 52 address, where they discovered the bodies of Monique and Hector.

The caller was identified as Daniel Torres Cerda, a 22-year-old from Coachella. He was detained by Colma police and subsequently arrested for the murders. According to court documents, Cerda admitted to shooting both victims with a stolen SKS assault rifle. The documents alleged he planned the attack after convincing a victim to let him access a gun safe, then fled the scene in Monique’s vehicle and drove to Northern California. He was extradited to Riverside County and held without bail.

Daniel Torres Cerda was charged with two counts of murder, auto theft, and possession of an assault weapon, along with special circumstance allegations for committing multiple murders. In February 2025, following a preliminary hearing, a Riverside County Superior Court judge found there was sufficient evidence for Cerda to stand trial on two counts of first-degree murder, auto theft, and special circumstances. As of February 2025, he was being held without bail while awaiting trial.