Reward fundraiser for triple-murder case

LAKESIDE (CNS) – Relatives of three young murder victims — two brothers and a woman engaged to marry one of them — held an East County fundraiser Sunday to bolster a reward for information leading to the identification and capture of whoever gunned down the trio last winter.

There have been no arrests in connection with the violent deaths of Gianni and Salvatore Belvedere, 24 and 22, respectively, and the elder sibling's fiancee, Ilona Flint, also 22.

The younger brother and the woman were found mortally wounded by gunfire in a parked car at Westfield Mission Valley shopping center early on the morning of Dec. 24.

Three weeks later, the body of Gianni Belvedere was discovered in the trunk of a sedan outside a fast-food restaurant near March Air Force Base in Riverside. Like the other two victims, he had been shot in the head, according to San Diego police, who had been searching for the former Utah resident since the earlier double shooting.

All three deaths were ruled homicides, SDPD Lt. Mike Hastings said.

Authorities have disclosed no suspected motive for the killings and have released only a limited description of a possible suspect seen at the site of the mall shooting — a roughly 5-foot-11-inch man in tan pants, white tennis shoes and a black hooded sweat shirt with white bands across the upper parts of the sleeves.

In addition to cash contributions, the victims' loved ones requested donations of items that were auctioned during the eight-hour fund-raiser at Eastbound Bar & Grill in Lakeside.

Anyone interested in giving can still do so by clicking here.

The owners of the Maine Avenue tavern also planned to donate part of their proceeds for the day to the cause, Donato said.