Richard Andrew Cardona, 43, was shot at the Pacifica Suites hotel on Hollister Avenue in Goleta, California, on February 10, 2022. Sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of shots fired around 8 p.m. and found a scene with heavy blood and broken glass. Cardona was taken to Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital about an hour after the shooting with a gunshot wound to the head and was pronounced dead at 9:40 p.m. that evening.

Investigators concluded the shooting was not random and believe Cardona and the suspect knew each other, suggesting a personal motive. Witnesses reported a gray BMW near the hotel around the time of the shooting, which became a lead. The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office worked with crime scene technicians and the California Department of Justice Bureau of Forensic Services.

In the days after the killing two men were arrested: Isaiah Alexander, 34, and Anthony Torres Lopez Jr., 36. Alexander was charged with multiple felonies including first-degree murder, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, and residential burglary, plus special allegations for prior violent offenses and being out on bail. If anyone has information about Cardona, his movements that night, or the gray BMW, please come forward.