Authorities: Triple Tribe Murder Was Hit Job
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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.
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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.