5 Years Later, Man Arrested In Banning Father/Son Stabbings

BANNING, CA — A man suspected of fatally stabbing a father and wounding his juvenile son nearly five years ago in Banning has been arrested, Banning police announced Wednesday.

Jerry Anthony Valdepena, 24, was taken into custody Friday in Hemet and was booked into Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside, jail records show.

Valdepena made his initial court appearance Wednesday. He has been charged with first-degree murder, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and a special circumstance allegation of killing for the benefit of a criminal street gang.

He appeared before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Hollenhorst, who appointed him a public defender and scheduled his arraignment for April 28 at the Banning Justice Center and ordered him held without bail.

According to Banning police, officers were called to the 400 Block of Alessandro Road in Banning around 12:47 a.m. June 5, 2016. At the location, they found Jeremy Frank Cooley, 26, and his juvenile son suffering from multiple stab wounds.

The father and son were rushed to the hospital but the elder Cooley died from his wounds.

Investigators determined that Valdepena and his crime partner, James Chagolla, were attending a party and stabbed the two after the elder Cooley — whose wife was nearby — asked them to quiet down.

Chagolla has already been tried and convicted for his role in the violence. The 30-year-old man is currently serving a sentence of life without parole at Wasco State Prison, according to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation records.