Suspect Arraigned in Shooting Death of Pasadena Man Whose Body Was Found Along Angeles Crest Highway

A murder suspect in the shooting death of a Pasadena man whose body was found lying along Angeles Crest Highway on November 6 was arraigned in a Pasadena courtroom Tuesday.

The body of the victim, 22-year-old Julio Robles-Castaneda, was spotted by a driver on Angeles Crest at Mile Marker 26.85 about 1 a.m. last Wednesday. The next day, Pasadena police backed by members of the U.S. Marshal’s Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested a Pomona man in a quiet Pasadena neighborhood and booked him on suspicion of committing the murder.

The suspect, Daniel Cervantes, 30, was charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office with one count of murder and appeared in court Tuesday.

Although the scene where Robles-Castaneda’s body was found is high in local mountains the spot falls under Pasadena’s jurisdiction, Lt. Pete Hettema explained at the time.

Robles-Castaneda had been shot to death, according to the Los Angeles Coroner’s office.

Detectives believe that Robles-Castaneda was killed at the remote location, police said.

On Nov. 7, Pasadena police arrested Cervantes during a raid on a home in the 1600 block of Brigden Road about 12:30 p.m.

Cervantes was booked on suspicion of homicide and has been held on a no-release bond of $2 million at the Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles.

Police arrested a second man with the same surname during the same operation, but on suspicion of crimes unrelated to the murder.

Juan Cervantes, Jr., 31, was booked on drug possession counts. He is being held pending $30,000 bail in the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic. He is believed to be related to the homicide suspect but the precise relationship is not known, police said.

Police said the murder was not random in nature but the exact motive is not certain at this time, authorities said.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call Pasadena Police at (626)- 744-4241 or you may report information anonymously by calling “Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google Play or the Apple App Store or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.