Perris Man Charged With Murder of Nuevo Women, One Other

A Perris man was arrested this morning and has been charged with three counts of murder in the killings of a man last December and a mother and daughter in February.

David Rey Contreras, 25, was taken into custody at his home on Wilson Avenue in Perris at about 12:15 a.m. today. He is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside.

Contreras is charged with the Dec. 29, 2012 murder of Jose Apreza, 53, of Perris. Apreza was reported missing by his wife after he took his dog for a walk and never returned home. His body was later found in an open field near Evans Road and Orange Avenue in Perris. According to a coroner's autopsy, the victim had multiple stab wounds to his body.

Contreras also is charged with the Feb. 4, 2013 murders of Maria Gonzalez, 51 and her 25-year-old daughter, Consuelo Gonzalez. The two women left their home in Nuevo about 5 p.m. that day for a walk. A short time later, deputies responding to a call of an apparent stabbing found both women lying in the street on Central Avenue.

Consuelo Gonzalez was pronounced dead at the scene and Maria Gonzalez died en route to a nearby hospital. Autopsies revealed both victims had received multiple stab wounds.

An investigation by the sheriff's Central Homicide Unit led investigators to identify Contreras as a suspect in all three murders. He faces multiple murder and lying in wait charges, making him eligible for the death penalty.

Contreras is scheduled to be arraigned this Friday, Aug. 9, at 1:30 p.m. at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta.