| For Immediate Release Case # 94NF0824
November 2, 2011 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami |
PAROLE DENIED FOR FIVE AND 10 YEARS FOR TWO GANG MEMBER BROTHERS FOR MURDERING ONE MAN AND STABBING TWO OTHERS
SANTA ANA – Parole was denied on consecutive days for two gang member brothers convicted of murdering one man and stabbing two others in a gang retaliation fight. One brother was denied parole today and the other was denied parole yesterday.
Jose Luis Villanueva, 37, is currently being held at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad, CA. He was found guilty by a jury of one felony count of second degree murder and two felony counts of attempted murder and was sentenced Feb. 24, 1995, to 24 years and four months to life in state prison. His parole was denied today, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2011, by the Board of Parole Hearings (Board), California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Jose Villanueva will be eligible for his next parole hearing in 2021. Senior Deputy District Attorney Ray Armstrong appeared at the hearing via video-conference to oppose Jose Villanueva’s parole.
Juan Manuel Villanueva, 35, is currently being held at Chuckawalla State Prison in Blythe, CA. He was found guilty by a jury of one felony count of second degree murder and two felony counts of attempted murder and was sentenced June 9, 1995, to 15 years to life in state prison. The inmate was 17 years old at the time of the crime and was prosecuted as an adult. His parole was denied yesterday, Nov. 1, 2011, by the Board. Juan Villanueva will be eligible for his next parole hearing in 2016. Deputy District Attorney Barbara Kim appeared at the hearing to oppose Juan Villanueva’s parole. Senior Deputy District Attorney Robin Park originally prosecuted both of these inmates.
Facts of the Case
On March 31, 1994, 17-year-old Juan Villanueva and his brother, 19-year-old Jose Villanueva, both members of a Hispanic criminal street gang, went driving around a Fullerton neighborhood with several other gang members. The inmates and their fellow gang members become involved in a verbal confrontation with 20-year-old Charles Matthews, whom they perceived to have disrespected them by stating, “f*** you.” Juan and Jose Villanueva drove away with their co-defendants.
An hour later, Juan and Jose Villanueva returned to the same Fullerton neighborhood with a larger group of fellow gang members. They located Matthews, who was with 18-year-old Ricky Michaels and 17-year-old Julio Duenas. Outnumbered and in a back alley, the victims asked the Villanueva brothers and the other gang members not to get violent, but a physical altercation ensued.
Juan and Jose Villanueva were involved in the fight, during which all three victims were repeatedly stabbed. Michaels was murdered and Matthews and Duenas were left in critical condition. The inmates and their co-defendants then fled the scene, laughing and smiling as they ran away. A witness called 911 and the Fullerton Police Department investigated the case.