New details released Tuesday on the deadly ambush attack of a UPS driver in Orange County revealed he was allegedly stalked and killed by a childhood friend.
The shooting happened on May 16 as the victim, Expedito Cuesta De Leon, 50, from Aliso Viejo, was sitting in his delivery van after dropping off a package at around 3 p.m.
Suddenly, a masked gunman pulled up to De Leon’s van and shot him 14 times in a matter of 19 seconds, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Irvine police responded to the area near Chrysler and Bendix Streets in Irvine, where De Leon was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside his delivery van. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities say the suspect, Rhean Jalipa Fontanoza, 46, sped away from the area. He was located about an hour later and arrested after a standoff with a SWAT team.
The DA’s Office said the two men, both UPS employees, knew each other and were childhood friends. They were also neighbors who lived in the same Aliso Viejo community.
On May 16 at around 12:30 p.m., Fontanoza allegedly stopped another UPS driver to ask if a certain route belonged to the victim, police said.
When the driver said the victim had another route, prosecutors say Fontanoza went to the UPS Aliso Viejo substation to access a computer showing driver routes and took a picture of the information with his cell phone.
At the time, Fontanoza had been on disability leave and was scheduled to return to work on June 1.
Just before 3 p.m., Fontanoza is accused of tracking De Leon down on his route. Prosecutors say he first drove past De Leon several times in a new vehicle the victim wouldn’t recognize and then waited for him to make a delivery and return to his truck. That’s when authorities say Fontanoza pulled up alongside the UPS van and opened fire, court documents said.
“[De Leon] still had his UPS scanner in his hand and his seatbelt buckled when Fontanoza drove next to De Leon’s delivery truck and shot him 14 times in 19 seconds,” according to the DA’s office.
Fontanoza was later found by police on Santiago Canyon Road in Orange. After refusing to exit his truck, officers deployed tear gas and then a K9 officer. The suspect was eventually dragged out of the truck and placed under arrest, helicopter footage showed.
The motive behind the deadly shooting, along with details surrounding the men’s relationship, remain unclear.
“I was in shock,” said Rosanna McClanahan, the victim’s neighbor. “He was just a really nice guy. He made friends with everybody.”
Loved ones who knew De Leon are devastated. They remember him as a kind soul and loving father to two children.
“He had a good heart,” said Kimberly Sudan, De Leon’s ex-wife. “His biggest joy was for his children. They have both successfully graduated from college and it was one of the proudest moments of his life, at the graduation seeing his son and daughter. We love and miss him very much.”
After serving in the Army for four years, De Leon began working for UPS to provide Sudan with better healthcare benefits as she had Type 1 diabetes.
Fontanoza was charged with one count of murder and special circumstances, including a drive-by shooting and lying in wait. He is being held on no bail. If convicted on all charges, he is eligible for the death penalty, prosecutors said.
“Mr. De Leon was just going about his day, doing his job with no idea his longtime friend was stalking him with every intent to kill him,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “The depravity involved to plot and carry out a plan to execute someone you shared a lifetime of memories is not something anyone of us can wrap our heads around. No life should have to end like this and it is a tragedy that should have never happened.”
The case remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Craig Voors at 949-724-7131 or email cvoors@cityofirvine.org.