A Pasadena resident who allegedly killed a woman, her father and another man and then shot at police before surrendering will stand trial on murder, attempted murder and other charges.
John Izeal Smith, 45, is charged with three counts each of murder, attempted murder and personally and intentionally discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury and/or death; five counts of shooting into an inhabited dwelling; and one count of possession of an assault weapon.
A Pasadena Superior Court judge ruled Monday that enough evidence was presented at the defendant’s preliminary hearing to warrant a trial. Smith is due back in court on Nov. 17 for arraignment.
The charges include the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, making Smith eligible for the death penalty if convicted. Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to pursue capital punishment.
Smith is accused of gunning down 59-year-old Maria Aguiar, who was found outside a Pasadena home in the 1700 block of North Summit Avenue about 4:20 p.m. on July 12, 2014, and Jose Hernandez Iribe, a good Samaritan who rushed to her aid.
Iribe, 29, was shot in the chest, according to police and prosecutors, who said Smith holed up inside the home after the shootings and called 911. He spoke to a police dispatcher who helped persuade him to surrender.
Aguiar’s 91-year-old father, Luis Fernando Aguiar, was then found shot to death inside the home.
Smith allegedly fired more than 40 rounds from a semiautomatic weapon before barricading himself in the home and calling the police department’s communication center.
He spoke with an emergency services operator for 20 minutes before surrendering to SWAT officers, according to police, who said a landlord-tenant dispute and a long-term relationship between the suspect and his victims appeared to be factors in the crime.
—Wire reports