RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Authorities say the triple murder of a Cabazon tribal official and two others in 1981 was a hit orchestrated by the tribe's casino director and financial adviser to cover up illegal reservation activity.
The allegations were contained Thursday in a felony complaint against James "Jimmy" Hughes, a ministry director arrested Saturday at the Miami-Dade International Airport on an outstanding warrant.
Alfred Alvarez, vice chairman of the Cabazon Tribal Council, was shot execution-style, along with his girlfriend and a friend, on June 29, 1981, in Rancho Mirage.
The complaint alleges Hughes conspired with the tribe's financial adviser and others in the days before the murders and then did the shooting himself.
Hughes is fighting extradition to California.
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