A jury has convicted a 24-year-old man for his role in the killing of a drug dealer in Placentia, an attack allegedly ordered by the head of a branch of the Mexican Mafia.
The 2017 fatal shooting, which San Diego County Sheriff’s investigators helped probe, resulted in the death of Robert Rios, 35.
Augustine Velazquez was convicted of murder, conspiracy, burglary and attempted robbery Wednesday in the killing.
Jurors, who deliberated for about a day, also found true special circumstances allegations of murder during a robbery.
Velazquez, who is scheduled to be sentenced July 23, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Four defendants remain to be tried in the case – Johnny Martinez, 45, the reputed Mexican Mafia chief for Orange County, Gregory Munoz, 33, Ysrael Cordova, 36, and Ricardo Valenzuela, 41.
Velazquez’s attorney, Rob Harley, acknowledged that his client took part in the crime, but argued that he played a small role.
“My client was a minor participant,” Harley told City News Service after the verdict. “Nobody accused my client as being the actual shooter.”
Co-defendant Charles Frederick Coghill, 37, was a key witness for the prosecution. Coghill is expected to be given a plea deal.
In his opening statement, prosecutor Dave Porter told jurors that Munoz, who was also in prison at the time, coordinated the Jan. 19, 2017 attack on Rios, who was “savagely beaten” when Velazquez, Cordova and Valenzuela showed up his home.
Coghill drove the defendants to Rios’ residence in the 900 block of Vista Avenue, Porter said.
Velazquez was shot in the leg during the scrum with Rios, who fought back, the prosecutor said. The defendant’s cohorts “could care less” about him and Munoz told them to dump him by the side of the road, Porter said.
Coghill dropped Velazquez off at his home, and the defendant called a friend to give him a ride to a San Diego hospital, Porter said.
Doctors alerted San Diego County sheriff’s deputies, who showed up at the hospital where Velazquez was being treated, he said.
Velazquez told the deputies a “despicable” lie that an “unidentified male Black carrying a Mack-10 semi-automatic firearm attempted to rob him” and shot him, Porter said. Investigators later pieced together the truth and discovered Rios’ blood on Velazquez’s jacket, he said.
Harley argued that Munoz, in the business of pushing drugs from behind bars, and Coghill played far larger roles in Rios’ death than his client.
“Mr. Munoz needed Mr. Coghill because he was in state prison and needed someone to run his business on the streets,” the attorney said.
Velazquez, who at the time was 20 years old, was only involved because Coghill was a neighbor and was helping him get parts to repair the defendant’s car, Harley said.
He maintained this his client “number one, was not the shooter and, number two, never intended to kill anybody” when he went along for the drive to Rios’ house. In fact, a highly “intoxicated” Rios “pounded” Velazquez during the conflict, Harley said.
Velazquez wore a cast on his left leg for a month to treat his gunshot wound, he added.
