On October 28, 2022, police in Montclair, California, were called to what looked like a routine traffic accident. A car had crashed near Howard Street and Central Avenue, and inside, they found Samuel Esparaza. Mr. Esparaza, a 42-year-old man, was deceased, and authorities initially believed he had died from injuries sustained in the solo-vehicle crash.
The case took an unexpected turn when the coroner’s office conducted an examination. They discovered that Mr. Esparaza had not died from the crash but had suffered a gunshot wound. This critical finding transformed the investigation from a traffic accident into a homicide, with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department taking the lead to find who was responsible for his death.
For nearly two months, investigators worked to solve the case. Their efforts led them to a suspect, Roberto Pizana, a 44-year-old man from Pomona.
On Tuesday, December 13, 2022, authorities arrested Pizana at a home on Rio Rancho Road in Pomona. The Sheriff’s Department stated that they had tied Pizana to the murder but did not publicly release details about the evidence that connected him to the crime.
Following his arrest, Pizana was booked into jail with his bail set at $1.1 million. While he was the sole suspect arrested in connection with Samuel Esparaza's death, he had not yet been formally charged with murder as of late December 2022. He remained in custody and was expected to appear in court, where he faced a potential charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, while his arraignment for a potential murder charge was also pending. As of December 2022, the case was proceeding through the legal system.
