An Indio man who fatally shot a longtime acquaintance, possibly over relations each man had with the same woman, carried out a “deliberate and premeditated murder,” a prosecutor said Wednesday, while the defendant’s attorney argued his client shot while in fear for his life.
Miguel Mejia Cazarez, 44, allegedly gunned down 39-year-old Jose Luis Villegas III of Mecca in 2021. Cazarez is charged with first-degree murder, hit-and-run resulting in property damage and sentencing-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations.
In her opening statement Wednesday for Cazarez’s trial at the Larson Justice Center in Indio, Riverside County Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Stevenson said that during an ongoing conflict, the defendant drove to the residence of his ex-wife, Monica Villegas, on Sonora Avenue in Indio on the afternoon of Jan. 12, 2021.
The prosecutor alleged Cazarez intentionally drove his Ford F-150 pickup into the two sedans parked out front, belonging to the woman and her husband, Jose Villegas.
Both the Toyota Corolla and Volkswagen Jetta were damaged, though the latter was still drivable, Stevenson said, adding that Jose Villegas immediately went outside and jumped into the latter car, giving chase as Cazarez sped away.
The victim pursued Cazarez back to his residence on Ocotillo Avenue, where Villegas confronted the defendant, who pulled a handgun and opened fire, the prosecutor said, alleging Cazarez had “intentionally lured him” to the property.
“Despite being riddled with bullets, Jose drove away,” she told jurors.
The victim managed to travel about a block before passing out and losing control, plowing into the front gate of a business at 82025 Avenue 44, according to Stevenson.
An employee called the Indio Police Department, whose officers arrived a short time later with paramedics. The victim was taken to a Coachella Valley trauma center, where he died that night.
“The defendant’s execution is complete,” Stevenson said. “He committed a willful, deliberate and premeditated murder.”
Defense attorney Shaun Sullivan rejected the proposition that his client had acted out of vengeance, though he acknowledged Cazarez did plow into the vehicles belonging to the victim and his wife — the defendant’s former spouse.
“That car collision is not where the story begins,” Sullivan told the jury. “He’s known Jose as long as he’s known his ex, Monica.”
The attorney characterized Cazarez as the vulnerable one, asserting his client had been the target of repeated acts of intimidation and violence by Villegas. The reasons weren’t specified.
Sullivan said the defendant was attacked in 2019, suffering a sliced arm and stomach that required emergency medical treatment. The attorney suggested Villegas was the person responsible, but he didn’t say exactly how or why.
“Jose Luis has a persistent axe to grind with Miguel,” Sullivan told jurors, describing instances in which Villegas allegedly drove past the defendant’s parents’ house, where he resided, frightening him and them.
Cazarez reacted by purchasing a handgun, but “he doesn’t brandish it in a threatening manner,” the attorney said. “The message is this: back off,” he said.
After confirming his client was responsible for damaging the vehicles, Sullivan insisted that Cazarez had “never done anything like this.”
Sullivan said when Villegas caught up to his client at his parents’ property, Cazarez believed the man had deadly intentions and opened fire in self-defense.
“He sits with his mom and dad,” Sullivan concluded. “He waits for law enforcement. The surrounding circumstances make it clear that he fired out of fear.”
Cazarez was taken into custody without incident.
He’s being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the nearby Benoit Detention Center. He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.