Jury recommends death penalty for Banning man convicted of series of gang-related murders
Jesus Reyes
BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) – A 28-year-old man faces the death penalty after pleading guilty to five gang-related murders, along with an attempted murder, in Banning between 2015 and 2020.
A jury returned a death penalty verdict for William Arnold Armendariz III on Tuesday at the Riverside Hall of Justice. He is due back in court on Dec. 12 for an official sentencing.
According to Banning police, all homicides involved multiple members of a criminal street gang.
One of the cases that William Armendariz has pleaded guilty to was a triple homicide at a Banning cemetery in Aug. 2020. Felicia McCafferty, 48, Theresa Sanchez, 43, and James Lara Jr., 53, were killed in a shooting.
After the shooting, William Armendariz was on the run for several days along with his brother, Christopher Armendariz. They were located and captured in Illinois five days after the shooting.
Christopher Armendariz eventually pleaded guilty to manslaughter and a criminal street gang enhancement. He was sentenced to 11 years in State Prison
Police said after his arrest, Banning detectives were able to connect William Armendariz to the murders of Charles Neazer in 2015 and Bradley Cunningham in 2018, as well as the attempted murder of Cunningham’s friend, who survived the incident.
Other suspects were also identified during the investigation.
Samuel Vasquez was identified for the murder of Neazer and Henry Waters Jr. in Feb. 2017. Vasquez was convicted his role in the murders of Charles Neazer and Henry Waters Jr, as well as several other attempted murders, assaults with a deadly weapon, and criminal street gang enhancements. He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in Jan. 2023.
Jovanny Martinez and Brandon Hylkema were identified as additional suspects for the murder of Bradley Cunningham. Hylkema pleaded guilty to manslaughter and a criminal street gang enhancement and isawaiting sentencing. Martinez is currently awaiting trial.