Three men plea guilty for 2019 Oceano shooting death of Daniel Fuentes
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. -- Three men charged for a fatal Oceano shooting entered guilty pleas on Wednesday, according to the San Luis Obispo District Attorney's Office.
District Attorney Dan Dow said that Robert Joseph Garay, 30, Gabriel Luis Garay, 23, and Nathaniel Alexander Jara, 24, plead guilty for the April 2, 2019, shooting death of Daniel Fuentes, 41, of Arroyo Grande.
According to the preliminary hearing, evidence showed that the three suspects, whom the DA identified as gang members, were in a car driven by Jara when they came across Daniel Fuentes who was riding his bicycle.
Investigators said the three members then got out of the car, and Robert Garay shot Fuentes twice in the back, resulting in his death.
The DA's Office said Robert Garay plead guilty to second degree murder and to active participation in a criminal street gang.
The DA's Office said Robert Garay also admitted that he has a prior conviction for assault with a deadly weapon in 2010, a "strike" under California’s Three Strikes sentencing law.
As a result of his plea, the DA's Office said it expects that Robert Garay will be sentenced to 30 years to life in state prison.
Gabriel Garay (Robert Garay's younger brother) and Nathaniel Jara both plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter and to active participation in a criminal street gang, according to the DA's Office.
The DA's Office said that Gabriel Garay also admitted he has a prior conviction for assault by means likely to cause great bodily injury in 2015, a "strike" under California’s Three Strikes sentencing law.
As a result of his plea, the DA's Office said it expects that Gabriel Garay will be sentenced to 13 years and four months in state prison.
In addition to Nathaniel Jara's plea, the DA's Office said he also admitted a prior conviction for possession for sale of a controlled substance for the benefit of a criminal street gang in 2018, a "strike" under California’s Three Strikes sentencing law.
As a result of his plea, the DA's Office said it expects that Nathaniel Jara will be sentenced to 13 years and four months in state prison.
The three are scheduled to be sentenced on April 20, 2022 at 8:30 a.m. by San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Honorable Judge Jacquelyn H. Duffy Presiding.
For the full press release, click here.
