A May 22 trial date was confirmed Monday for two conspirators accused in the slaying of a man for financial gain on the east end of San Jacinto.
Diego Ernest Brane, 26, and Elias Shane Miranda, 23, both of San Jacinto, are accused with 42-year-old Ramon Alejandro Mora in the 2019 death of Christopher Antonio Gutierrez, also of San Jacinto.
Mora is on the lam, whereabouts unknown, according to court records.
All of the defendants are charged with first-degree murder, robbery and special circumstance allegations of murder for financial gain and killing in the course of a robbery. Brane is additionally charged with sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
During a status conference at the Riverside Hall of Justice Monday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Joshlyn Pulliam conferred with the prosecution and defense regarding scheduling, and the two sides agreed to make preparations for trial proceedings in the latter half of May.
Both Brane and Miranda are being held without bail — Brane at the Robert Presley Jail, Miranda at the Smith Correctional Facility.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Ed Baeza, on the afternoon of Nov. 15, 2019, the defendants allegedly targeted Gutierrez in the 100 block of Jordan Avenue, near First Street, shooting the victim to death.
Baeza alleged that the men fled before patrol deputies converged on the location. Gutierrez was found in grave condition from the gunshot wounds and was taken to a regional trauma center, where he died that night.
It was unclear how much money or other property the defendants allegedly took from the victim, or whether he knew his attackers.
Central Homicide Unit detectives assumed the investigation and ultimately gathered sufficient evidence to obtain an arrest warrant for Brane, who was located in custody at the downtown Riverside jail, awaiting disposition of several cases, including one for alleged attempted murder in July 2022. The circumstances connected to that case were unavailable.
Court records show Brane has prior misdemeanor convictions for making criminal threats, harassment by telephone and presenting false identification to a peace officer.
His arrest led to additional evidence pointing to the alleged involvement of Miranda and Mora.
Miranda, who was taken into custody without incident in February 2023, has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County. However, Mora has priors for attempted murder and auto theft, according to court documents.
Prosecutors do not intend to seek capital punishment, if the defendants are found guilty.