OCDA TO OPPOSE PAROLE OF MAN CONVICTED OF MURDERING BAR PATRON BY SHOOTING HIM IN FACE AFTER ARGUMENT OVER WOMAN

OCDA TO OPPOSE PAROLE OF MAN CONVICTED OF MURDERING BAR PATRON BY SHOOTING HIM IN FACE AFTER ARGUMENT OVER WOMAN

SANTA ANA – Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) Tony Rackauckas is opposing the parole of a man who murdered another man outside of a bar by shooting him in the face after an argument over a woman. Alberto Aguilera, 51, is currently being held at California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo, CA. Following the crime, Aguilera was found guilty by a jury and sentenced for one felony count of second degree murder with a sentencing enhancement for the personal use of a firearm. That conviction was later overturned on appeal and Aguilera was subsequently convicted by a second jury on Dec. 17, 2011. He was sentenced June 14, 2002, to 19 years to life in state prison.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Carolyn Carlisle prosecuted the re-trial of this case. Aguilera is scheduled for a parole hearing tomorrow, Nov. 29, 2011, at 8:30 a.m., at the prison before the Board of Parole Hearings, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).

Orange County Senior Deputy District Attorney Stephan Sauer will appear at the hearing to oppose Aguilera’s parole. The OCDA maintains that Aguilera is a continued threat to society based on the nature of the crime and his failure to accept responsibility for his actions.

Murder of Jose Perez

At approximately 1:40 a.m. on July 1, 1995, Aguilera was became involved in a verbal argument over a woman with Jose Perez at a bar in Santa Ana. Aguilera left the bar and waited outside for the victim to leave. When Perez walked outside, the inmate approached him and murdered the victim by shooting him in the face. The inmate then turned and walked away. Two police officers responding to a nearby call heard the shots and turned to see the victim fall to the ground. They observed the inmate lower his firearm and “nonchalant[ly] turn and walk towards a parked car.”

Failure to Accept Responsibility and Lack of Remorse

The OCDA’s Parole Opposition letter states, “Over the years the inmate has repeatedly tried to minimize his culpability for the offense, first by denying any involvement in it at all, and then by claiming he acted in self-defense.” The letter continues, “The inmate’s various versions of events have become progressively more self-serving, while at the same time becoming less consistent with the actual facts.”