A “Witness or a Suspect;” Offers of Leniency

A “Witness or a Suspect;” Offers of Leniency

Robert C. Phillips
DDA (Ret.)
September, 2016

Fabian Florence Perez was in need of a little extra cash.  So when his friend, Christopher Jasso, suggested that they rob someone randomly off the street, Perez didn’t think it was such a bad idea.  On the evening of September 5, 2003, with Jasso armed with a 25 caliber pistol he got from his girlfriend’s brother, the two hapless thieves set out onto the streets of Indio, California, looking for a likely victim.

Unable to find anyone who didn’t pose an unreasonable challenge, Jasso decided it might be easier if they had the potential victim—someone they knew would be carrying cash—come to them.  Why not just call for a taxi and rob the driver   Basking in their new-found brilliance, the two did just that.  The plan was for Perez to follow Jasso as he robbed a taxi driver and then whisk him to safety once Jasso had completed the dirty deed.  What could go wrong ....

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