Manuel Dominguez sentenced to 29 years to life for December 2018 murder of Robert Gutierrez

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – On Thursday, Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that Manuel Dominguez of Santa Maria was sentenced to 29 years to life for the first-degree murder of Robert Gutierrez in December of 2018.

Dominguez pled guilty to one count of murder and admitted to the special allegation that he used a firearm on Aug. 20, 2024, stated the Ventura County District Attorney's Office in a press release about the sentencing.

On Dec. 13, 2018, Dominguez returned to a neighborhood on Magnolia Avenue in Oxnard where he used to live and knocked on the window of a former neighbor detailed the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

According to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, Gutierrez answered the door and the men argued before Dominguez shot Gutierrez once in the chest from about 30 feet away.

Gutierrez was transported to Ventura County Medical Center where he later died from his injuries shared the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

Following an investigation by Oxnard Police, Dominguez was arrested for the murder on Jan. 2, 2019, explained the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

"This sentence reflects the gravity of a senseless act that claimed an innocent life," said Senior Deputy District Attorney Cynthia Nguyen, who prosecuted the case. "We hope this outcome brings a measure of closure to the victim's family and loved ones."