Ex-Con Convicted of Murder in 'Home Invasion Assassination'

An ex-con who joined his best friend in a "home invasion assassination" of a 43-year-old California man has been convicted of first-degree murder and a dozen additional charges.

After deliberating less than two days, a Murrieta jury on Wednesday afternoon found Rodolfo Garcia, 44, of Perris guilty of gunning down Silvano Gutierrez Esteves.

Along with murder, jurors convicted Garcia of four counts of armed robbery, three counts of kidnapping to commit robbery, two counts each of false imprisonment and firearm assault and one count of burglary, with multiple sentence-enhancing allegations of using a firearm during felonious offenses. They acquitted him of carjacking.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Johnnetta Anderson scheduled sentencing for July 31.

Garcia’s former co-defendant and childhood friend, 34-year-old Jesus Ledesma Guzman of Lancaster, was similarly charged but was killed in a gunfight with U.S. Marshals trying to arrest him in an eastern portion of California almost eight years ago. They killed Esteves at his residence in February 2018.

According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney's Office, the pair were part of a "home invasion robbery crew" composed of about a dozen men, who wore ballistic vests and masks, wielded high-capacity rifles and waged campaigns of terror against their targets.

Guzman was believed to be the ringleader and buried at least five victims around his Lancaster property, the brief said.

Nearly seven months before the slaying of Esteves, on July 17, 2017, the crew went to a Nuevo home where illegal marijuana was grown and forced their way into the residence in the middle of the night, leveling guns at the half-dozen occupants, including three children, court papers said.

One of the intruders threatened to rape the young girl there unless demands for money and other valuables were met. Her two male siblings were wrested away from their parents and isolated in a room separate from the adults, who were told the youngsters would be abducted unless everyone cooperated.

The robbery crew kicked, struck with rifle butts and shoved the victims to the floor, according to documents.

The victims didn't resist, surrendering "over $10,000, two horse- mounting chairs, marijuana, a counting machine, a safe, super .38-caliber pistol, jewelry, a (pickup) truck and a van," the brief said.

The loot was taken to Garcia's house and divvied up, prosecutors said.

According to the court brief, Garcia had been at odds with Esteves because the victim believed the defendant had stolen "large quantities of marijuana" from him. The feud between the men ultimately led to Garcia and an unidentified man appearing in front of the victim's Monroe Avenue house, brandishing handguns and threatening to kidnap him if he persisted in his antagonism.

A few weeks later, in the predawn hours of Feb. 5, 2018, Garcia and Guzman stormed the victim's home, prompting Esteves to hide his wife and son in a closet while he attempted to negotiate with the pair, prosecutors said.

The D.A.'s office said that the defendants ignored his pleas and "repeatedly shot him, then left without stealing a single item from the home."

Sheriff's Sgt. Walter Mendez said a "large amount of marijuana" was found at the location. "There was no indication of a robbery, simply a premeditated home invasion assassination," according to the brief.

Sheriff's detectives gathered sufficient evidence pointing to Garcia's involvement, and by extension, Guzman's. However, by that time, the latter was under investigation in Los Angeles County for drug-related killings there.

Garcia was arrested without incident on Oct. 29, 2018, in Menifee. Guzman was tracked down by federal agents in Inyo County, where they attempted to take him into custody, according to Mendez.

He said the fugitive shot at the agents, who returned fire, killing him.

Court records show Garcia had prior convictions for felony driving under the influence, auto theft and receiving stolen property.