Jurors in the retrial of a 23-year-old man who fatally shot a neighbor and wounded the victim’s brother during a confrontation at a girl’s coming-of-age party could not reach a unanimous verdict on a murder charge, but convicted him Tuesday of other counts.
The Riverside jury tasked with deciding the fate of Gael Ian Cazares deliberated nearly three days before informing Riverside County Superior Court Judge Steven Counelis that an impasse on the murder allegation against him could not be overcome, prompting the judge on Tuesday to declare a mistrial on that count. The jury was in favor of conviction by a vote of 11-1.
Jurors did find Cazares guilty of attempted voluntary manslaughter, as well as sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
Counelis scheduled a tentative sentencing hearing for June 12 at the Riverside Hall of Justice. The hearing will double as a retrial conference in which prosecutors will announce whether they intend to proceed with trying the case for a third time in the hope of obtaining a murder conviction.
“Our office is still reviewing this and has not yet made a decision whether we will retry the murder count,” District Attorney’s Office spokesman John Hall told City News Service.
Even without another trial, Cazares’ minimum mandatory sentence is 25 years in state prison based on the felony charge for which he was convicted, compounded by the enhancements.
He’s being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail.
He fatally shot 22-year-old Manuel Villaman in 2021 and wounded the victim’s younger brother.
In November 2022, a separate jury deadlocked after three days of deliberations in his first trial, unable to reach a unanimous verdict on any counts.
According to a trial brief filed by the prosecution, Cazares and Villaman had prior conflicts, including arguments about the defendant’s reckless driving on their street. Cazares also held a grudge over the victim’s relationship with a woman they both knew.
On the night of May 29, 2021, the men and others were invited to a quinceanera for a girl at a residence in the 4900 block of Rutile Street, near Birmingham Avenue. Cazares allegedly went to the party armed with a self-assembled Glock “ghost” pistol.
Witnesses told investigators the defendant arrived looking for trouble, and when he encountered Villaman near the entrance to the house, he accosted him angrily, then pushed him into the driveway, prompting Villaman to push back, culminating in a shoving match that spilled into the street, according to prosecutors.
They said Villaman’s younger brother, whose identity was not disclosed, tried to break it up and was himself shoved by the defendant.
“When (Villaman’s brother) attempted to intervene a second time, he saw the defendant pull out a gun,” according to the brief. “He immediately tried to run away when he heard three gunshots.”
The young man was hit in the abdomen, and his brother was shot once through the chest and another time in the buttocks, the brief said.
Cazares jumped into a car and raced home.
Villaman was pronounced dead at the scene. His brother was taken to Riverside Community Hospital, where he underwent surgery and ultimately recovered.
Witnesses identified Cazares as the assailant, and he was taken into custody without incident the following day.
He had no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.