Two of the four alleged gang associates charged with felony murder in connection with the fatal shooting of an innocent bystander on Stearns Wharf appeared in court Wednesday and had attorneys appointed to their cases.
Ricardo Tomas Jauregui-Moreno Jr., 20, and Christopher Dave Miranda, 21, and two co-defendants are charged in connection with the slaying of Robert Dion Gutierrez, 52, of Camarillo, in the Dec. 9 Stearns Wharf shooting in Santa Barbara.
“Today Miranda was appointed counsel from the Public Defender,” Senior District Attorney Tate McAllister told the News-Press on Wednesday. “Andrea Keith (a private attorney) subbed in as attorney of record for Jauregui.
“Both cases were put over for continued arraignment to 2/17,” he said, as were the cases of their co-defendants — Jiram Jhunue Tenorio Ramon, 22, and James Lee Rosborough, 21. All four are from Santa Barbara.
Mr. Jauregui-Moreno Jr. and Mr. Miranda are each charged with murder, with special allegations of committing the murder for the benefit of a criminal street gang (Westside-Santa Barbara) and principal use of a handgun, conspiracy to commit murder and criminal street gang conspiracy.
Mr. Jauregui-Moreno is also charged with having been previously convicted of a violent felony or “strike” offense.
Mr. Tenorio Ramon is charged with murder with the special circumstance of committing the murder to benefit a criminal street gang and the special allegation of personal use of a firearm causing death. He is also charged with conspiracy to commit murder and criminal street gang conspiracy.
Mr. Rosborough is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, criminal street gang conspiracy and being an accessory after the fact, with the special allegation of committing the crime for the benefit of a criminal street gang.
Prosecutors allege the four defendants verbally challenged a group of pedestrians while driving on Stearns Wharf on Dec. 9, and that they stopped their vehicle for the purpose of deploying two of their party to attack a group of pedestrians with a firearm. One of them fired a gun and killed Mr. Gutierrez, prosecutors allege.
The four defendants then allegedly fled the location of the shooting, two on foot and two by vehicle, then traveled back to the location of the homicide in vehicles to extract those who fled on foot to avoid apprehension, prosecutors said.
Santa Barbara police officers and Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol responded around 8:40 p.m. Dec. 9 to the area of Stearns Wharf and Cabrillo Boulevard for a report of a shooting that had just occurred.
Upon arrival, officers located a man suffering from a single gunshot wound. The man, later identified as Mr. Gutierrez, was provided medical attention on scene and transported by ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for treatment. He died on Dec. 20.
“Mr. Gutierrez’s death was a direct result of the gunshot wound he sustained on Dec. 9, deeming this case a homicide investigation,” police said previously. “It appears Mr. Gutierrez was an innocent bystander when the shooting occurred.”
Detectives from the Santa Barbara Police Department continually investigated the homicide, and “their extensive and diligent investigation led to the identification of multiple suspects connected to a local criminal street gang,” police said.
The Santa Barbara Police Department, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office and Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office then executed search-and-arrest warrants at several locations throughout the city and county, and the four defendants were arrested.
A 16-year-old male (name withheld due to age) was also arrested and booked at the Santa Barbara County Juvenile Hall in Santa Maria for allegedly being a juvenile in possession of a firearm.
Prosecutor McCallister declined comment on the status of his case. “ I cannot talk about a juvenile matter.”
email: nhartsteinnewspress@gmail.com
