After a preliminary hearing Friday, a 23-year-old Santa Barbara man was ordered to face trial on a murder charge and other allegations for the Stearns Wharf shooting that killed a Camarillo man late last year.

Robert Dion “Rob” Gutierrez, 52, was celebrating his anniversary with his wife on Dec. 9, 2022, when he was shot and killed on the wharf during a fight between two groups.

Investigators described Gutierrez as an innocent bystander.

Jiram Tenorio Ramon was held to answer all the criminal charges in an amended complaint filed Friday, including murder and special allegations of street terrorism, committing a crime for criminal street gang purposes, personal and intentional discharge of a handgun causing great bodily injury or death, and committing the alleged offense while on felony probation.

He was also charged with conspiracy to commit the crime of murder, and additional special allegations.

Three other Santa Barbara men were initially charged in this case, and they have all pleaded guilty to various charges — none of them are murder charges — and are awaiting sentencing.

A Dec. 7 sentencing hearing was set for Ricardo Tomas Jauregui-Moreno, 20, and no dates have yet been set for Christopher Dave Miranda, 21, and James Lee Rosborough, 21, according to court records.

Tenorio Ramon, Miranda and Jauregui-Moreno were initially accused of murder and committing the crime in order to benefit the Westside criminal street gang, and Rosborough was accused of being an accessory after the fact.

At Tenorio Ramon’s preliminary hearing on Friday, Santa Barbara police Detective Bryce Ford was the only witness to take the stand. Ford testified that he was the lead investigator on this case, and that he is an expert in gang crimes and activities. 

Ford testified that Tenorio Ramon posted a rap song on his Instagram story two days before the shooting with lyrics that directly reflect the events of the shooting. 

The song, allegedly written and sung by Tenorio Ramon, describes encountering a rival gang, grabbing a firearm, and being ready to kill for the gang life. 

Ford testified that Miranda told him in an interview that the gang was traveling in a vehicle near the wharf on Dec. 9, 2022, when they recognized a group of nine individuals walking along the wharf to be members of a rival gang. 

Miranda reportedly described to Ford that Jauregui-Moreno reached out the car window waving a “W” hand sign, a common signal used by members of the Westside street gang. 

Ford said Miranda told him that Tenorio Ramon showed Miranda that he had a 9-millimeter handgun in the car with them on the day of the shooting, and that it was loaded. 

Ford testified that Rosborough told him in an interview that Tenorio Ramon said he “got one” after the shooting. Rosborough reportedly also took issue with Tenorio Ramon posting a rap song about a crime they were involved in. 

Ford testified that during his investigation, he found several photos on social media where Tenorio Ramon was flashing hand signals associated with the Westside street gang, but that Tenorio Ramon was not an official member of the gang. 

Prosecutor Tate McCallister argued to the judge that Tenorio Ramon sought out Gutierrez with the intention to kill him. 

Defense attorney George Steele, representing Tenorio Ramon, asked Judge Pauline Maxwell to dismiss the trial on Friday, saying that his client was acting acting in self defense after the other group began shooting at him and his group.

Maxwell said that the prosecution showed sufficient evidence to show that Tenorio Ramon shot and killed Gutierrez, and she denied Steele’s motion for dismissal. 

Tenorio Ramon’s next court date for arraignment on the information is Aug. 24.

The original criminal complaints alleged all four Santa Barbara men accused in this case committed the following:

• Verbally challenged a group of pedestrians while driving on Stearns Wharf in the city of Santa Barbara.
• Stopped their vehicle for the purpose of deploying two of their party to attack the group of pedestrians with a firearm.
• Discharged a firearm at the group of pedestrians and murdered Robert Dion Gutierrez, an innocent bystander.
• Fled the location of the murder, two on foot and two by vehicle
• Traveled back to the location of the murder in vehicles to extract those who fled on foot to avoid apprehension

Police have said one of the groups involved Santa Barbara residents with ties to the Westside criminal street gang, and the other group involved Ventura County residents with ties to Ventura County criminal street gangs.

There are ongoing juvenile court cases for two Ventura County residents charged with murder and one charged with being an accessory and other allegations related to the shooting.

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story reported that Jiram Tenorio Ramon allegedly displayed a “W” hand sign from the car. SBPD Detective Bryce Ford testified that Ricardo Tomas Jauregui-Moreno displayed a “W” hand sign from the car. The story has been corrected.