A 40-year-old ex-security guard pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter Friday and was immediately sentenced to 11 years in prison in connection with the New Year’s Eve killing of a man in Santa Ana.
In a plea deal with prosecutors, Toetu Tesarina Lavea pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. She was given credit for 1,842 days behind bars. As part of the plea deal, a charge of murder with a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a deadly weapon was dismissed.
The woman admitted to killing 46-year-old Manuel Ramos of Santa Ana Dec. 31, 2020.
Police said they were called at 6:46 p.m. Jan. 2, 2021 to a residence in the 1800 block of West 18th Street, where they found Ramos’ body in the living room.