Riverside Slaying Suspect Is Accused of Dire Threat

A Riverside man accused of killing a 23-year-old woman, then burning her body in a citrus grove, days later doused his former girlfriend with gasoline and threatened to kill her and four children by setting her house afire, authorities say.

Benjamin Matthew Medina, 29, was accused Wednesday of five counts of attempted murder in the Dec. 26 attack on the girlfriend and threats made in her Moreno Valley home.

The incident happened 12 days after Riverside police discovered the burned body of Krisana Leann French beneath a tree at California Citrus State Historical Park. Riverside police arrested Medina in that killing Dec. 29. Medina was an acquaintance of French who “partied” with her, said Riverside Police Sgt. Steve Johnson.

Authorities in the Riverside County district attorney’s office are still reviewing the French slaying, and prosecutor John Davis said a formal murder charge could be filed against Medina within two weeks.

Police have not released many details about the case or revealed a possible motive. Because of her burned remains, French’s identity was unknown for 15 days. After police released a computer-generated sketch of the victim and publicized that she was wearing unique jewelry and a T-shirt with the message “Say hello to my little friend,” one of French’s relatives came forward to identify her.

Medina’s alleged attack on his former girlfriend, Jessica Herrera, apparently was triggered when he saw her at her house with another man.

Medina and Herrera had been involved for 14 years, and she told police they have five children together.

Herrera told police Medina confronted her inside the house, telling her he had a can of gasoline in his truck and would burn down the house, with four children inside who authorities believe are the former couple’s children. She said he then got the 5-gallon can and began splashing the fuel on her and on the kitchen, living room and hallway floors, according to court records. She said Medina yelled, “I told you ... it’s on now. I am going to take you out!”

When Herrera called 911, Medina fled.

Medina served a 16-month state prison sentence in the late 1990s for negligently discharging a firearm, authorities said. The five counts of attempted murder leave Medina subject to a possible life sentence.