Jury deliberations got underway Friday in the retrial of a 23-year-old man accused of gunning down a neighbor and wounding the victim’s brother during a confrontation at a girl’s coming-of-age party in Jurupa Valley.
Gael Ian Cazares allegedly killed 22-year-old Manuel Villaman in 2021.
Cazares is charged with murder, attempted murder and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
The prosecution and defense delivered closing statements Friday after two weeks of testimony at the Riverside Hall of Justice. Jurors went behind closed doors briefly in the afternoon before breaking for the day. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Steven Counelis directed them to return to the downtown courthouse Monday to pick up where they left off.
Cazares is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail.
In November 2022, a Riverside jury deadlocked after three days of deliberations in his first trial, unable to reach a unanimous verdict on any of the counts.
According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney’s Office, 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 that 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 that 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.
Paramedics arrived minutes later and pronounced Villaman dead at the scene. His brother was taken to Riverside Community Hospital, where he underwent surgery and ultimately recovered.
Witnesses identified Cazares as the alleged assailant, and he was taken into custody without incident the following day.
He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.