A judge has ruled that four men accused of murdering a 78-year-old Winchester resident during a home invasion robbery must face trial for first-degree murder and other charges. The defendants include Clifford John Franken, 53, of Hemet; Matthew Patrick Fromer, 51, of Menifee; Kevin Richard Hirsch, 46, of Menifee; and Joseph Michael Salvati, 34, of Hemet. The alleged killing of Robert Bettencourt took place on March 3, 2023.
After a preliminary hearing at the Southwest Justice Center, Riverside County Superior Court Judge John Davis found enough evidence to proceed with a trial on the murder charge, as well as charges of robbery, burglary, and special-circumstance allegations pertaining to killing in the course of a robbery and killing during a burglary.
A post-preliminary hearing arraignment for the defendants has been scheduled for October 6 at the Murrieta courthouse. All four men are currently being held without bail. While Franken and Fromer are in custody at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta, Hirsch is at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside, and Salvati is at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.
According to Riverside County sheriff’s Sgt. Ed Baeza and court documents, the men allegedly entered Bettencourt’s house on Whitaker Street, near Grand Avenue, by force, assaulting and ultimately shooting the victim to death.
The criminal complaint asserts that Hirsch was the one who pulled the trigger. Bettencourt’s body was found inside the house three days later, after loved ones contacted sheriff’s officials and prompted a welfare check. Investigators noted signs of a struggle and forced entry at the crime scene.
Over the course of the following two months, detectives from the Central Homicide Unit gathered leads that pointed to the four defendants as the alleged culprits. However, specific details about the investigation and the motive behind targeting Bettencourt were not provided.
Court documents reveal that Franken has a previous conviction for vehicle theft, Fromer has a prior felony for driving under the influence of drugs, and Hirsch has two undisclosed prior convictions from another jurisdiction. Salvati has prior convictions in Riverside County for carjacking and felony evading.
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