Pretrial proceedings began Monday ahead of jury selection for the trial of a 20-year-old man accused of gunning down a Jurupa Valley resident and seriously wounding another.
Gael Ian Cazares of Jurupa Valley was arrested in May 2021 after the alleged attack that killed 22-year-old Manuel Villaman.
Cazares is charged with murder, attempted murder, as well as sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
Riverside County Superior Court Judge Samuel Diaz is scheduled to resume hearing motions from the prosecution and defense Tuesday at the Riverside Hall of Justice. There was no immediate word on when jury selection might begin.
Cazares is being held without bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Rick Espinoza, about 10 p.m. on May 29, 2021, the defendant was involved in an unspecified confrontation with Villaman and another man, identified in court documents only as John Doe, in a house in the 4900 block of Rutile Street, near Birmingham Avenue.
During the encounter, Cazares pulled a handgun and opened fire on the victims, Espinoza alleged. The defendant then fled, and witnesses called 911.
Paramedics and patrol deputies arrived within minutes, at which point Villaman was pronounced dead at the scene. The other victim was taken to Riverside Community Hospital for treatment of several gunshot wounds, from which he has since recovered.
Detectives quickly identified Cazares as the alleged assailant, and the next day, he was located and taken into custody without incident on Troth Street in Jurupa Valley, according to sheriff’s officials.
A possible motive for the attack was not disclosed.
Cazares has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.