The prosecution is slated to rest this week in the trial of a 25-year-old Anza man accused of gunning down his father when the victim tried to intervene in a dispute between the defendant and his girlfriend.
Anthony David Holguin is charged with first-degree murder, illegal possession of a firearm and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations for the 2019 slaying of 40-year-old David Jose Holguin in the 39000 block of Cary Road.
The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office opened its case at the end of last week, and prosecutors are expected to call their final witness before Friday at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.
Holguin is being held without bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning.
According to a trial brief filed by the prosecution, the defendant was living in a trailer on his father’s property at the time of the attack, sharing the space with his girlfriend, whose identity was not disclosed.
Holguin and the woman were engaged in an ongoing dispute about her lack of attention to her pets, including a dog that died, culminating in a confrontation in which the defendant slapped her on the afternoon of Nov. 13, 2019, while high on methamphetamine, court papers said.
The woman, in turn, became physical with Holguin, prompting others who resided on the property to get involved and request assistance from the young man’s father.
“David Holguin went over to the trailer where the two were fighting,” according to the brief. “David knocked on the door, and the defendant answered it holding a camouflaged shotgun. The defendant pointed it at his father, who said, `Are you going to shoot me?’ The defendant fired once, and David went down. While he was on the ground, the defendant fired again.”
The victim suffered a massive chest wound, as well as wounds to his hands, an autopsy later revealed. He died within seconds.
The defendant allegedly ran away holding the shotgun, which he attempted to conceal in bushes a few hundred feet from the trailer, prosecutors said.
Both sheriff’s deputies and California Highway Patrol officers were sent to the property in response to 911 calls. A CHP officer encountered Anthony Holguin standing near the trailer and arrested him, though he tried to bolt, according to the brief.
During interviews with investigators, Holguin changed stories multiple times regarding what transpired, once claiming that his father was hitting him when he opened fire with the shotgun, and later saying he feared his father was armed with a pistol and intended to use it when he walked over to the trailer, leading the defendant to shoot first, according to court papers.
However, David Holguin was not armed, and witnesses did not support his son’s claims, prosecutors said. Anthony Holguin ultimately admitted that he had “not slept for four days because he was using methamphetamine, smoking marijuana and drinking,” the brief said.
“He was angry and wanted to leave the trailer, but his father would not let him,” the narrative said, referring to the defendant’s statements. “The defendant said he just wanted to leave, but he felt trapped and `when I feel trapped, I do what I have to do.”’
Doctors familiar with Holguin said the young man had a troubled past, going back to when he was in elementary school and diagnosed with “intermittent explosive disorder,” resulting in destructive temper tantrums, according to the brief. Despite this, psychologists determined the defendant could distinguish between right and wrong and knew what opening fire with a shotgun would do to another person.
According to court records, Holguin has multiple undisclosed juvenile convictions. He additionally has an unresolved felony case pending for allegedly obstructing a correctional officer, as well as a misdemeanor case pending for allegedly carrying a loaded firearm in public without a permit.