A man who fatally stabbed his 64-year-old mother at her Wildomar home was sentenced Friday to 16 years to life in state prison.
Evan Jon Zavala, 25, pleaded guilty last month to second-degree murder and a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony in the slaying of Ramona Marie Zavala.
The plea was made just as the defendant’s case was called for a preliminary hearing at the Southwest Justice Center.
During a hearing at the Murrieta courthouse Friday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Freer imposed the sentence stipulated under state law.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Lance Stoyer, just before 10 p.m. on April 23, 2024, patrol deputies were called to the Ramona Zavala’s residence in the 33000 block of Breckenridge Trail, near Gafford Road, to investigate reports of an assault.
Stoyer said that when deputies arrived, they found the woman “suffering from stab wounds.”
The victim was taken to nearby Inland Valley Medical Center, where she died a short time later.
Zavala was questioned and taken into custody without incident at the property.
A possible motive for the attack wasn’t provided, and there was no mention of it in court filings.
Zavala had no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.