Screengrab via YouTube
Jose Arredondo is the Bakersfield car dealer who was found dead in Cabo San Lucas in Baja California on July 16. He was 58 years old. Arredondo had celebrated his birthday on July 8.
Arredondo was born in the village of Cualcoman, Mexico. He moved to the U.S., crossing the border illegally at night, at the age of 11 with his sister, Laura, in the winter of 1971. On his business’s official website, Arredondo said of this, “I was frightened to death to come to a country without knowing the language, but I was hungry for a better life.”
The pair’s mother was already living in Valencia, California, and working as a housekeeper. Arredondo did not speak English at the time. He was the fourth of 11 children. The children’s father had died a few years before their border crossing.
From there, Arredondo built a business empire which saw him own several car dealerships. Arredondo is survived by his wife, Kim Kyung-ju; daughter Mariana and son Samuel.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Arredondo Was ‘Beaten to the Death’
Arredondo was found inside of a home he owned in Cabo San Lucas, reports KGET. The Associated Press reports that Arredondo “showed signs of blunt force trauma.” The AP report adds that Arredondo “showed signs of blunt force trauma.”
Arredondo owned Family Motors car dealerships in Bakersfield, Delano and Taft. In addition, Arredondo also owned a car body shop and a real estate agency. His first lot was in Bakersfield which Arredondo purchased in 1993, according to his official website. That website also lists Arredondo as the owner of car paint shop and of a golf range.
2. Samuel Kim aka Punch Has Not Commented on the Death of His Father Yet
Arredondo’s son, Samuel Kim aka Punch, a star in the world of K-Pop has yet to publicly comment on the death of his father. At the time of writing, Samuel’s Instagram page has been disabled and his Twitter account has been set to private.
Samuel was a former member of the K-Pop duo 1Punch in 2015 and was featured in the reality television series Produce 101 Season 2 in 2017. That same year, Samuel made his solo debut with the song, “Sixteen.” We Are Mitu compared the track to Justin Bieber’s “Baby.”
Thanks to his Korean mother and Mexican father, Samuel is fluent in Spanish, Korean and English. He moved to Korea with his mother at the age of 11 to begin training in K-Pop. Samuel got his start in showbusiness by acting his father’s car dealership commercials:
3. Arredondo’s Career With Cars Began With Him Washing Them
Arredondo’s first job with cars came when he got a job washing them in a Mission Hills dealership in 1977. For his work, Arredondo was paid $325 every two weeks. Not long after, Arredondo was given the chance to sell cars on his own, he sold 12 in his first month.
Arredondo told Automotive Buy Sell Report in 2017 that he dropped out of high school at 15 in order to help his family out. Arredondo said that because of this, he was always looking to help others with education and gave out over 100 scholarships per year.
4. Arredondo’s Pastor Called Him ‘The Real Deal’
Reverend James Ranger of the New Life Church told Bakersfield.com in the wake of Arredondo’s passing that the victim was “the real deal.” Rev. Ranger said that over the years, Arredondo had donated brand new cars to church to auction off for charity. The reverend said Arredondo was “tough as nails but he had a beautiful heart.”
In the same article, the chief operations officers for Motor City Buick GMC and Motor City Lexus of Bakersfield, John Pitre, said of Arredondo, “He was a valuable member of our community and we’re certainly going to miss him,” Pitre said. “We’re certainly in mourning and we’ll say a prayer for him.”
A 2006 feature on Arredondo in Bakersfield.com detailed his philanthropy in donating to charities and visiting inmates. Arredondo noted in the piece that he had not ruled out one day running for public office.
5. Rev. Ranger Has Denied Rumors That Arredondo Was Mixed Up in Criminal Activities
Owner of Family Motors Auto Group, Jose Arredondo, killed during home invasion in Cabo San Lucas.
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In his interview with Bakersfield.com, Rev. Ranger denied any allegations that Arredondo’s businesses were mixed up in organized crime. The reverend said, “I never saw, ever saw anything that would make me think otherwise.”
Bakersfield.com reported in 2006 that there had been rumors that Arredondo had been arrested in the past in Miami and Las Vegas on drug charges. Despite those rumors, the website says that there is no criminal record for Arredondo in those states. Local police told the website that although they have received reports about suspicious activities at Arredondo’s businesses, none have ever been substantiated.
In August 2014, one of Arredondo’s senior employees was shot dead in mysterious circumstances. While in February 2006, a man named Manuel Morales Abarca, 28, was shot dead in Arredondo’s home in Rosedale. Arredondo was not at home at the time of the shooting.
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