Suspect in 1981 murder of tribal leader booked in S. California’s Riverside County

Suspect in 1981 tribal murders booked in Calif.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A former tribal security official-turned-preacher accused of killing a Cabazon tribal leader and two friends in 1981 has been extradited and is behind bars in California’s Riverside County.

Sheriff’s Det. John Powers says James “Jimmy” Hughes was booked Saturday and jailed in Riverside.

Hughes faces three counts of murder and a count of conspiracy for allegedly killing Fred Alvarez to prevent him from exposing illegal reservation activities.

Hughes was arrested in September in Miami as he sat on a Honduras-bound plane. Earlier this month, a Florida judge ordered his extradition to California.

He is scheduled to appear in Superior Court Dec. 17.