A man from Cathedral City was accused of murdering another man in 2017 due to jealousy over a woman, according to a prosecutor’s statement during closing arguments. The defendant, Ronald Dean Ricks, is facing charges of murder, discharging a firearm from a vehicle, and causing great bodily injury. The incident occurred on January 16, 2017, when the victim, Michael Gordon, was found dead in front of a house in Banning.
The prosecutor, Josh DeGonia, emphasized that while all pieces of evidence have been presented, the victim’s voice will forever be missing. The dispute originated when a white Dodge truck was rented by a woman who later lent it to Ricks’ ex-girlfriend. Ricks allegedly became enraged when he learned that his ex-girlfriend had been spotted with Gordon at a casino, leading to their breakup. On the morning of the incident, Ricks reportedly drove to the house in Banning, stared at Gordon and the women present, and then proceeded to shoot and kill Gordon before leaving the scene.
According to prosecutors, Ricks then went to the home of two acquaintances, where he parked the truck and made a call. In the meantime, his ex-girlfriend sent a text message to the woman who rented out the car, instructing her to claim it was stolen and not to reveal any names. The truck was found the day after the shooting with residue from gunshots outside the front door frame. Witnesses described a white truck and the driver as a bald man with a tattoo on the side of his head.
Defense attorney Eugene Stillman argued that none of the witnesses who saw the white truck and its driver identified Ricks as the shooter or driver. He questioned why individuals who knew Ricks, including Gordon and one of the women at the scene, did not come forward to identify him. Stillman also pointed out that the surveillance footage from commercial areas near the scene was not thoroughly examined, urging the jurors to carefully consider all the evidence before reaching a conclusion.
The court documents revealed that the shooting took place as Gordon was assisting a woman with loading her dogs into a car. As a witness began walking back towards the residence, a man in a white truck backed up from a stop sign, stopped in front of the house, and smiled at her. Moments later, two gunshots were heard, and Gordon pushed the woman out of the way before a third gunshot rang out. The witness saw the driver with a silver revolver, shooting Gordon in the side before fleeing in the truck.
The now-deceased witness identified Ricks as the alleged shooter. Ricks’ ex-girlfriend confirmed that he left in the truck, and text messages from the day prior to the murder indicated his jealousy over her previous relationship with Gordon. Ricks surrendered at the San Jacinto sheriff’s station shortly after the shooting after being identified as a person of interest. He was initially held for an unrelated offense and was later charged with Gordon’s murder in December 2017, leading to his arrest in Hemet.
Ricks is currently incarcerated at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside without bail.
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