A Santa Barbara County Superior Court jury in Santa Barbara began deliberations on Tuesday in the case of a man charged with murder in the 2022 shooting death of a Camarillo man at Stearns Wharf.

In their closing arguments, attorneys offered conflicting explanations for the killing of Robert Gutierrez, with prosecutors contending it was the result of gang-related violence, while the defense countered that it was a tragic side effect of self-defense.

Jiram Tenorio Ramon, 26, is accused of fatally wounding Gutierrez, an innocent bystander, during a shootout with a group of minors from Ventura at Stearns Wharf at about 8:40 p.m. on Dec. 9, 2022.

Gutierrez, 52, had been visiting Santa Barbara with his wife for their 20-year wedding anniversary at the time of the shooting. He was an administrator at an assisted-living facility in Camarillo and had two daughters.

This is the second trial for Tenorio Ramon because of a mistrial in 2025.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Tate McCallister told the jury that Tenorio Ramon was a devoted follower of the Westside Santa Barbara criminal street gang.

McCallister argued that Tenorio Ramon was already associating with the group and other confirmed members of the gang leading up to the shooting.

He alleged that Tenorio Ramon’s actions on the night of the shooting were motivated by his goal of officially joining the gang as a full member.

During his opening statements at the beginning of the trial, McCallister described the confrontation between the two groups as a “Wild West shootout.”

“No different than two rival outlaws meeting in the street and drawing,” McCallister added during his closing remarks.

Witness testimony placed Tenorio Ramon at Stearns Wharf on the night of the shooting and revealed that he was armed with a gun.

Tenorio Ramon was at the pier that night with three friends, according to trial testimony. The group was hanging out near Painted Cave earlier in the night to drink and smoke but decided to drive down to Stearns Wharf.

They arrived at the wharf in the evening but decided to leave because they saw law enforcement around the area and were worried about being caught smoking or drinking.

As they were leaving, Tenorio Ramon and another passenger, Ricardo Tomas Jauregui-Moreno, noticed a group of teenagers who they suspected were rival gang members. The teens were confirmed to be from Ventura.

One of the passengers in the car flashed a gang sign with his hands at the Ventura group as the car was leaving the pier toward East Cabrillo Boulevard. The two sides allegedly began exchanging whistles and challenging each other.

Chris Miranda, who was driving the car on the night of the shooting, testified that Tenorio Ramon told him to pull over, then exited the vehicle with one of the other passengers, Jauregui-Moreno.

Security camera footage shown during the trial showed the two sides exchanging fire with the Ventura group.

The Ventura teens fired multiple shots in the direction of the Stearns Wharf entrance, according to prosecutors. Tenorio Ramon allegedly fired a shot back and struck Gutierrez as he was heading toward the end of Stearns Wharf.

His wife, Gerallie Gutierrez, testified on July 6 that she heard noises that she described as “firecrackers” shortly before her husband collapsed.

Earlier in the trial, Miranda testified that Tenorio Ramon had a gun on the night of the shooting and showed it to him earlier in the evening.

Miranda was one of the three other people in the car with Tenorio Ramon.

All three of the other passengers testified for the prosecution and accepted lesser plea deals for their testimony.

McCallister told the jury that Gutierrez’s death was a direct result of Tenorio Ramon’s actions and eagerness to join the Westside gang.

He pointed out that when Tenorio Ramon left the car to confront the Ventura group, he left his hat and cellphone in the vehicle. McCallister said Tenorio Ramon was in attack mode when he got out of the car, and that fact shows his intent leading up to the shooting.

The prosecution also shared messages between Tenorio Ramon and members of the Westside Gang discussing gang business and rivals.

The messages also suggest that Tenorio Ramon was looking to buy a gun in the months before the shooting.

Jauregui-Moreno testified that he and Tenorio Ramon fled the scene after the shooting.

He stated that, after the shooting, Tenorio Ramon said: “F— foo, I think I shot someone.”

McCallister also alleged that Tenorio Ramon later bragged about the shooting and even wrote a rap about the crime in late December. He posted the song to his Instagram page.

One of the lines in the song stated, “If you ain’t ready for the bullets, I suggest you stay inside.” Another line read, “Is you really down to kill or you just doing it for show?”

McCallister argued that the defendant’s mindset was also portrayed in new tattoos he gained after the shooting, including a modified version of the MLB logo that stands for major league shooter.

The prosecution further alleged that in the aftermath of the shooting, Tenorio Ramon took the nicknames of “murder” and “hitter.”

McCallister also shared images from Tenorio Ramon’s jail cell showing he had inscribed murder into the walls.

“He thinks this was a murder,” McCallister told the jury, “and so should you.”

In his closing argument, Tenorio Ramon’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender George Steele, told the jury that the prosecution was attempting to make the case about identity.

Steele accused the prosecution of using out-of-context text messages to assign his client an identity.  

“They want you to ignore what happened and be more concerned about who Jiram is,” Steele said.

During the trial, Steele had challenged the claim that his client was part of the gang by calling gang expert Martin Flores. Flores has worked on gang prevention in the past and works as an expert witness.

Flores testified that even though some people may know gang members in their neighborhoods, they are not necessarily in the gang themselves.

Flores added that a gang would not claim credit for a crime from a non-member.

Steele also argued that his client was in fear for his life during the shooting and was protecting himself after the Ventura group shot first. He added that his client had a “reasonable and objective” fear of being in danger.

Steele stated that the prosecution could not fully confirm that the gun found by the Santa Barbara Police Department was the one that fired the shot that killed Gutierrez.

Investigators located the alleged gun used in the shooting at the home of an older gang member, according to witness testimony during the original trial. An expert testified that the gun found by police was likely the same weapon.

Steele added that the prosecution’s attempts to make the case about Tenorio-Ramon’s identity do not take away his right to lawful self-defense.

After the attorneys rested their cases, the jurors began their deliberations, which are scheduled to continue on Wednesday.

Tenorio Ramon is being held without bail in the Santa Barbara County Jail.