Couple Accused of Murdering Man, Setting His Body on Fire

A couple suspected of murdering a Fontana man in 2010, dumping his body in a Redlands field, then setting his remains on fire were arrested Tuesday.

Keith Julian Costella and Michelle Rebecca Luevano, both 21, were taken into custody at the Redlands Police Department between 9:30 and 10:30 p.m. after investigators served a search warrant at their home in the 2200 block of Cahuilla Street in Colton.

Both were charged with murder and were booked into the Central Detention Center in San Bernardino, Redlands Police officials said.

On Feb. 23, 2010, about 11:30 p.m., Redlands firefighters discovered the burning remains of Craig Kenneth Kubitz at the scene of a vegetation fire near Wabash Avenue and Interstate 10.

It took nine months to identify Kubitz as the deceased. Investigators checked missing person’s reports, dental records and circulated photos of a distinctive belt buckle the victim wore, officials said. On Dec. 9, DNA and fingerprints helped confirmed it was the Fontana man.

Kubitz was last seen Feb. 18, 2010, in Fontana. His 1992 Volkswagen Jetta was found abandoned on Highway 18 near Crestline on Feb. 25.

Investigators learned Kubitz worked with Costella doing odd handyman jobs. On Feb. 18, the men went to Costella and Luevano’s Highland home, in the 7800 block of Tippecanoe Street, where Kubitz was going to collect $700 he was owed, investigators said.

That’s when Costella shot Kubitz, police officials said. The couple reportedly kept the body for five days before wrapping it in a tarp, loading it into Luevano’s pickup truck and driving to Redlands where it was dumped. They doused the body with gasoline and set it on fire, investigators said. The victim’s car was abandoned on Highway 18 the next day.

The investigation into the case is ongoing. Police ask anyone with information to call Sgt. Mark Hardy or Sgt. Steve Crane at (909) 798-7659 or Redlands Police Dispatch at (909) 798-7681. Anonymous tips can be submitted by texting 274637 using the keyword “REDTIP.”