Cathedral City man convicted of killing teen
City News Service
MURRIETA, Calif. (KESQ) – A jury deliberated one day before convicting a young man of first-degree murder for fatally shooting a 17-year-old Cathedral City boy during a street confrontation that possibly stemmed from ill-will that had developed when the two worked together.
A Murrieta jury on Tuesday afternoon found Juan Alfredo Landeros Garcia, 26, of Cathedral City, guilty of the murder count, along with shooting at an occupied vehicle and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations, for the 2020 slaying of Isaiah Guerra.
Jurors had begun deliberations in the nearly two-week trial late Monday afternoon at the Southwest Justice Center.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge Johnnetta Anderson did not immediately schedule a sentencing hearing, according to court minutes.
Garcia is being held without bail at the Byrd Detention Center.
According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney’s Office, on the evening of April 4, 2020, Garcia was walking to a relative’s house, crossing near the intersection of Avenida Alvera and McCallum Way, when Guerra drove up in his Hyundai Elantra.
The victim got Garcia’s attention, but it was unclear what words were exchanged between them. Prosecutors said they had previously worked together at a Palm Springs Italian restaurant, though specific details about their on-the-job relationship and any conflicts were speculative.
During the roadside encounter, Garcia pulled a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and fired 10 times, striking Guerra in the chest, arms and legs as he sat in the driver’s seat of the four-door sedan, according to the brief.
The mortally wounded motorist attempted to drive away but crashed 300feet from where the gunfire erupted, his vehicle coming to rest on a sidewalk. He died at the scene.
Garcia ran from the location, tearing off his shirt and throwing the pistol onto a rooftop, the brief stated. Security surveillance cameras mounted on homes throughout the neighborhood captured the defendant in his flight, recording images of his tattoos and other salient marks later used to confirm he was the shooter.
Cathedral City police detectives obtained a warrant for Garcia’s arrest less than a week later, and he was taken into custody without incident at a family member’s property on Modalo Road.
The defendant admitted to his girlfriend, whose identity was not disclosed, that he’d shot the victim, but insisted that the teenager had “banged” on him, referring to gang-related hostility, then asked him, “Do you remember me?” according to the brief.
Garcia told the woman he’d pulled his gun and fired in self-defense.
The defendant had no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.