People v. Lopez-Castillo CA1/2
Opinion
Opinion
BACKGROUND
On October 6, 2011, sheriff’s deputies found the lifeless body of Jose Manuel de Jesus in the open trunk of a blue Dodge Intrepid in the parking lot of Carniceria Contreras, a butcher shop in Santa Rosa, California. De Jesus had been shot once in the
1 head. The subsequent investigation led the authorities to piece together a story of Mejias, Juan Ramon Lopez-Castillo (Ramon), Fernando Lopez-Castillo (Fernando),1 and Alberto Lopez-Barraza (Barraza) robbing de Jesus of a large amount of marijuana, during which Fernando shot de Jesus. In June 2012, the Sonoma County District Attorney filed an information in which the four men were charged with counts arising from the robbery and killing of de Jesus. They were charged in separate counts with murdering de Jesus (Pen. Code, § 187, subd. (a)),2 a serious and violent felony (§§ 1192.7, subd. (c), 667.5, subd. (c)), and it was alleged that Fernando fired the murder weapon; conspiring together to commit felony robbery of marijuana from de Jesus (§§ 182, subd. (a)(1), 211); and violating section 211 by unlawfully, and by means force and fear, taking personal property from de Jesus, a serious and violent felony (§§ 1192.7, subd.…