Victorville pastor is arrested in alleged murder-for-hire plot

Months after a man survived a barrage of gunfire while driving through Riverside, investigators arrested two men in an alleged murder-for-hire plot, including a Victorville pastor who authorities say put a hit on the man dating his daughter.

The pastor, identified Tuesday as Samuel Pasillas, 47, is accused of paying almost $40,000 to have his daughter’s suitor killed, according to the Riverside Police Department. Investigators said Pasillas provided information about the boyfriend to the men he paid, including the man’s location on the October night he was shot.

Juan Manuel Cebreros, left, and Samuel Pasillas are shown in booking photos.

(Riverside Police Department)

The hit men, who police say included 55-year-old Juan Manuel Cebreros, conducted surveillance on the boyfriend for weeks before the shooting, according to Ryan Railsback, a spokesperson for the Police Department.

The victim, who has not been identified, was shot several times Oct. 21 when a vehicle pulled up beside his vehicle and a gunman opened fire, Railsback said.

The victim drove himself to a hospital and has since been released, Railsback said, but is still recovering from the gunshot wounds.

Pasillas is a pastor at a small, Spanish-speaking church, Centro Internacional de Oracion, in Victorville, where he also lives, Railsback said. He was arrested last week on suspicion of solicitation for murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, according to Riverside County Superior Court records.

The Times was unable to reach anyone from Pasillas’ church. His attorney, listed in court records as Deputy Public Defender Drew Ogdon, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Pasillas remains in jail on $1-million bail, along with Cebreros, of Long Beach, who has been booked on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.

A third man linked to the case has not yet been arrested, court records show. It wasn’t immediately clear how many more people were linked to the shooting, and Railsback said the investigation is continuing.