Man sentenced for 2017 Old Town Orcutt Murder

A man was sentenced for a 2017 murder outside Elmer’s Bar in Old Town Orcutt.

Jonathan Highley was sentenced to 54 years in prison Friday morning.

The prosecution called the murder a “senseless, thoughtless execution of an innocent person who was just going about his life.”

Highley was convicted back in November 2018 for murdering Anthony San Juan in the back parking lot of the bar.

In an emotional testimony during Friday’s sentencing hearing, San Juan’s wife, Sara San Juan, said she wasn’t angry at Highley, but rather felt sorry for him.

“Our beautiful Tony’s life was taken from him. Tony no longer has the opportunity to stand for himself. Highley will never grasp how he broke so many lives and how the lives of two beautiful children will be forever filled with a void. [I lost] my best friend, my husband of almost 15 years. [Highley] took him from us that night and robbed us the chance of even a real good-bye.

“Instead of walking hand in hand like we did, I had to take his ashes from the funeral home and explain to his children that’s what was left of their dad. Instead of helping him pick something to wear, I have to stare at his clothes in the closet…I have to hide in the shower because it’s the only place [where my children] won’t hear me sobbing.

“As a parent himself, Highley has failed. His choice to pull the trigger that night has left many consequences.

“Tony embodies everything that [Highley] does not. He was loving, caring. Highley is shameful.

Jonathan [Highley] ran away that night leaving an amazing man to pass away that night leaving him all alone.

“Our hearts were broken and I will lie awake many times wondering why he did this…

“I’ve become softer and stronger.

“Jonathan will never have the chance to better himself… [he] is a coward. He is nothing but a weak person.

“I know Tony would’ve turned around and faced him like a real man [had Highley not grabbed the gun]. I am certain he is a sorry excuse for a father, friend and family member. Simply sorry excuse for a man altogether. He looks so smugly sitting in the chair…I bet he thought he was tough looking for conflict, asking for trouble with his hand on a weapon that couldn’t’t have been matched.

“How dare he sit on this stand and cry tears in front of Tony’s family. He says he thinks about this every day, but of course he does –only because he was caught.

“He’s the type of person that no one shows up for… His second character witness didn’t’t bother to show. Tony had 600 people show for his celebration of life…

“Highley doesn’t’t define me, this courtroom doesn’t’ define me. I have found happiness and will continue to move forward.

“Highley will have nothing but time…

“On behalf of my children, myself, and my late husband, I want Jonathan to lay awake at night [and think about the murder].

I feel no anger for him. I feel sorry for him.”

San Juan’s parents also took to the stand, his mother remembering welcoming their son when she was only 15.

“He was my immediate blessing, my reason for living,” Cheryl San Juan tearfully shared. “I’ve been robbed of any future opportunity and memories with him.”

San Juan’s mother recalled the night she received the call about her 43 year-old son’s murder, and fired back at Highley for claiming he did not remember his actions due to being intoxicated.

“How lucky he claims he doesn’t remember, for me it’s a day I will never forget.”

The family next shared a slideshow presentation of San Juan’s life, which included photos of his childhood, graduations, his wedding, and his two young kids.

The defense attorney emphasized “our hearts go out to this family”, adding that “Highley is extremely remorseful” and that after working with him for nearly two years, he’s shown to “take responsibility for his actions.”

Highley was visibly upset towards the end of the hearing, but the prosecution argued that “Highley himself hasn’t apologized to the family and doesn’t seem remorseful towards what he did, [he] is only emotional because he heard his sentence.”

On repeated occasions, the defense brought up Highley’s inebriated state during the night of the murder, saying he’s been attending AA meetings and anger management classes as “he continues his own search for answers as to how this happened”.

The defense also tried arguing that the crime was not pre-meditated, asking the Judge to find Highley guilty of a lesser degree, such as manslaughter.

The Judge denied a motion for a new trial, saying Highley had many opportunities to reconsider his actions –he went back home to retrieve the gun and then returned to the bar to shoot San Juan. “You could’ve stayed home, but didn’t,” the Judge said.

The Judge and the prosecution also cited Highley’s history of violent, drunken behavior, saying “he knew the risks when he drinks”.

The defense pled for a shorter sentence, mentioning Highley, 37, would live his last years in prison.

The Judge said he had thought long and hard about the case, and ultimately sentenced Highley to 54 years to life in prison.

In 2017, Highley’s wife pleaded no contest to being accessory to the murder for hiding the murder weapon in a car.

She was sentenced to a year in Santa Barbara County jail, taken to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, and deported to Mexico.