Accomplice Ricardo Tomas Jauregui-Moreno testified in Santa Barbara County Superior Court on Monday that he heard gunshots and ran from the scene after a fatal shooting at Stearns Wharf in December 2022.
Jauregui-Moreno took the stand on Monday to testify in the third week of the murder trial of 25-year-old Jiram Tenorio Ramon. Jauregui-Moreno also talked about his own role in the shooting death of Robert Dion Gutierrez.
Prosecutors allege that the shootout occurred as part of a gang-related altercation near the entrance to Stearns Wharf, during which Tenorio Ramon allegedly shot and killed Gutierrez. The prosecution contends that Gutierrez, a tourist, was an innocent bystander.
Jauregui-Moreno testified that he was with Tenorio Ramon on the night of Dec. 9, 2022. In the aftermath of the shooting, Jauregui-Moreno testified that Tenorio Ramon thought he had hit a member of a rival gang.
“He said, ‘Oh f—, fool, I think I got someone,’ or something like, ‘I think I shot someone,’” Jauregui-Moreno testified on Monday.
He continued by admitting he was angry with Tenorio Ramon after the shooting because he already had a felony on his record because of a fight he had participated in at Santa Barbara High School.
Police investigators and prosecutors allege the shooting was done in the service of the Westside Santa Barbara gang and that Tenorio Ramon was trying to prove himself to the gang.
During the first two weeks of trial testimony, witnesses shared evidence that Tenorio Ramon was in contact with older members of the gang and was told to continue “putting in work.”
The altercation started after Jauregui-Moreno and Tenorio Ramon, who were in a car with two other men, saw a group of people along the pier they believed might be in a rival gang.
According to previous testimony, one of the men in the car flashed a gang sign at the other group with their hand. Christopher Miranda, the driver, testified last week that he saw the other group flashing gang signs back and whistling at them.
Jauregui-Moreno testified in court that he told the driver, Miranda, to pull over.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Tate McCallister asked Jauregui-Moreno about a previous interview, where he said Tenorio Ramon also told Miranda to pull over, but Jauregui-Moreno said he could not remember.
Jauregui-Moreno testified that Tenorio Ramon got out of the car and told him to “hop out” too. However, he said he started running as soon as he saw the other group had guns.
“As soon as I saw the gun come out, I ran, and then I started hearing gunshots,” Jauregui-Moreno said.
Jauregui-Moreno was one of four Santa Barbara men arrested in connection with the shooting. He was initially charged with murder and pleaded guilty to assault in 2023.
He and the other two men in the car agreed to testify against Tenorio Ramon as part of their plea deals. Jauregui-Moreno testified while wearing an orange jail shirt and chains.
During his testimony, he admitted he was formerly a part of the Santa Barbara Westside gang and is the only one of the four men who said he was in the gang. He also testified that Tenorio Ramon was not officially part of the gang.
Despite testifying that he was part of the gang, Jauregui-Moreno denied knowing whether Tenorio Ramon’s tattoos were gang-related.
McCallister pressed Jauregui-Moreno on his answers and referred to a previous interview where Jauregui-Moreno said someone must “earn” those tattoos.
McCallister also questioned Jauregui-Moreno about statements he made in jail, saying he wanted to help Tenorio-Ramon, but was upset that Tenorio-Ramon wanted him to go down with him for the crime. Jauregui-Moreno confirmed that he made the statements but was still testifying.
McCallister also called Detective Bryce Ford from the Santa Barbara Police Department as a witness Monday.
Ford, who has investigated gang-related crimes in the past, testified that one of the primary reasons for gangs to attack other groups is to instill fear in rivals and the public. Additionally, he said those kinds of attacks build the gang’s reputation and weaken rival gangs by removing a “soldier.”
The last witness for the prosecution was Dr. Benjamin Howard, the trauma surgeon who treated Gutierrez on the night of the shooting. After the shooting, Gutierrez was treated at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, but he died from his injuries on Dec. 20.
Howard testified that the victim was shot in the back near his shoulder and that he sustained damage to his spinal cord. He added that Gutierrez would have suffered lifelong injuries if he survived, including paralysis.
At the time of the shooting, Gutierrez was visiting Stearns Wharf with his wife as they celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary.
On Tuesday, Deputy Public Defender George Steele, representing Tenorio Ramon, called an expert witness, Daniel O’Kelly, director and founder of the International Firearm Specialist Academy.
O’Kelly previously worked for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and now works as a lecturer and expert on guns.
He testified that he has experience with privately made firearms or “ghost guns.”
Steele asked O’Kelly about the practice of ballistics, specifically the collection of evidence from firearms, and the accuracy of the methods.
In his response, O’Kelly stated that the method incorporates a “human factor” as part of the process, which introduces the possibility of error.
During cross-examination, McCallister questioned O’Kelly on his background as an expert witness and how much he is paid for his testimony. He also asked O’Kelly if he had personally examined the evidence, to which O’Kelly confirmed he had not.
McCallister also questioned O’Kelly about past appearances on a podcast called GunGuyTV and past remarks he made criticizing the ATF.
Steele ended his defense after O’Kelly’s testimony, and the court moved into jury instructions before ending for the day.
Closing statements for the case are scheduled for Wednesday morning, and then the case will go to the jury for deliberations.