Bruce Cleland Murder: Where Are Rebecca Cleland, Alvaro Quezada and Jose Quezada Today?

How Did Bruce Cleland Die

Bruce Cleland Murder: Where Are Rebecca Cleland, Alvaro Quezada and Jose Quezada Now? – Rebecca Salcedo immediately won Bruce Cleland’s heart after they first met. But their brief affair ended abruptly when he was brutally slain in what appeared to be an attempted carjacking not too long after. The investigation by the police revealed more evidence that, in their opinion, indicated a more private motive. The centrepiece of “Scorned: Fatal Fury: Murder Stripped Down,” an episode on Investigation Discovery, is the callous plot to have Bruce killed for money. So, if you’re interested in learning more, we can fill you in.

Must Read: Sallie Rohrbach Murder: Where is Michael Howell Now?

Bruce Cleland Murder

Why Did Bruce Cleland Pass Away?

Being modest and reserved, Bruce Cleland was close to his parents. Bruce enrolled in Stanford University after his graduation from Claremont, California’s Harvey Mudd College. He was employed by a company at the time of the occurrence and was paid well for his work as a software designer. In December 1995, the 43-year-old saw Rebecca Salcedo at a swap meet where she was selling spices. They eventually wed in a civil ceremony before getting married in a church in January 1997.

The pair dined at a restaurant on July 25, 1997, before going to Rebecca’s uncle’s place for drinks. Around one in the morning, they departed, with Rebecca behind the wheel. Sometime later, a taxi driver driving through a quiet street discovered her lying on the ground and Bruce lying in a pool of blood in a driveway across the street. The automobile was still running when the cops came, and he had been shot three times in the head and once in the back.

Who Killed Bruce Cleland and Why

Who Killed Bruce Cleland and Why?

Rebecca Salcedo informed the authorities that a dashboard light indicated that the rear hatch might not have been closed while returning home. She stopped the car and got out to close it. Rebecca, however, asserted that someone struck her in the head and knocked her out before she awoke to discover Bruce dead. He appears to have first been shot in the face inside the vehicle. He was shot in the back and twice more in the head when he attempted to flee.

The couple’s goods were still in the car, and although the police were considering the possibility of a carjacking, it seemed more likely that someone was waiting for them to arrive before killing Bruce. In addition, Rebecca’s journey raised red flags for suspicion. The distance to their home in Whittier, California, was around four miles. Additionally, the police later reported that Rebecca’s behaviour was unsettling. She appeared “relaxed, lethargic, and indifferent,” they claimed.

Finally, despite Rebecca’s assertion that she was struck in the head, the paramedics who examined her discovered no symptoms of injuries. Then, the authorities probed the couple’s private lives. Bruce gave Rebecca many pricey gifts in their relationship’s early days. When she told her friends she planned to marry Bruce for his wealth, have a child with him, and then collect child support, the police discovered this information. Even Rebecca had paid for cosmetic surgery without his credit card.

In October 1996, the couple had a civil wedding, during which Bruce acquired a house in Whittier. Nevertheless, Rebecca remained there while Bruce remained there until their wedding in January 1997. She was having sex with other men then, so she would ask Bruce to phone before coming over. The police also discovered that Rebecca had once questioned her sister about finding someone to kill Bruce while making it appear to be an accident.

After a few months of marriage, Bruce returned to living with his parents, while Rebecca started living in Whittier with her cousin Alvaro Quezada. They were “extremely friendly toward one another,” according to witnesses, who also noted that they were “constantly embracing and kissing.” Rebecca gave Bruce a draught separation agreement in April 1997. He was pondering divorce, according to his parents, but by July 1997, he had changed his mind and wanted the marriage to continue, which resulted in the dinner on July 26 of that year.

Later, phone records revealed that Rebecca made many calls to Alvaro or his father, Arturo, from the eatery. They went to Arturo’s place after dinner. Then, according to the records, Rebecca made a couple of calls to Alvaro at about one in the morning of that fateful day, and mobile tower data located him close to the crime scene 10 minutes before the murder. The police assumed that Jose Quezada, his brother, Rebecca, and Alvaro were all engaged in the murder.

Bruce had about $1 million in life insurance policies at the time of his death; thus, money seemed to be the driving force. The cops thought Rebecca was after that and his salary and retirement funds. The police believed Jose was the gunman and Alvaro was the getaway driver at the time. Finally, the police detained all three of the suspects for the crime.

Who Killed Bruce Cleland
Rebecca Cleland

Alvaro Quezada, Jose Quezada, and Rebecca Cleland: Where Are They Now?

After being found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiring to murder in June 2000, Rebecca Cleland, Alvaro Quezada, and Jose Quezada were given life terms without the possibility of release. Rebecca and Jose’s convictions were later reversed, nevertheless, in May 2003. Rebecca was found guilty of the same accusations more than three years later, and in January 2007, when she was 37, she was given a life sentence without the possibility of release.

Before the sentence, Bruce Cleland’s brother-in-law Ed Brown, who served as best man at the Clelands’ wedding, declined to make a victim impact statement.

Having been through this for some time and for so long, I’m just worn out,” he said outside the courtroom. “I’m glad it happened, but my feelings are just kind of exhausted. What she did to Bruce while he was alive was worthy of imprisonment.”

According to the prosecution, Rebecca Cleland, who married Bruce, later planned his murder out of avarice.

It’s crystal clear the only thing defendant Cleland ever wanted from Bruce was his money,” Deputy District Attorney Craig Hum told jurors during closing arguments in her trial. 

Jose’s second trial resulted in a mistrial, but he was found guilty in a third trial and ultimately given the same punishment as Alvaro and Rebecca. According to prison records, he is still detained at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California. His brother Alvaro is currently incarcerated at Folsom State Prison in Represa, California. Rebecca is finally incarcerated in Corona, San Bernardino County, in the California Institution for Women.

Must See: Where is Alleged Child Abuser Jerold Dunning Now?