A Santa Barbara man accused of murdering two local college students in what authorities are describing as a drug deal gone bad appeared for arraignment Monday in Superior Court in Santa Barbara.
Bryan Munoz, 21, appeared virtually before Judge Clifford R. Anderson III, but did not enter a plea to two counts of homicide, and a felony count of conspiracy to commit robbery.
His arraignment was continued until Feb. 16.
According to the criminal complaint filed by the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office, Munoz also is facing several special-circumstance allegations: multiple homicides; discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury; and committing the crimes for the benefit of the Westside criminal street gang in Santa Barbara.
A second homicide defendant — a 15-year-old boy identified only as John Doe because of his age — will be arraigned in Juvenile Court, according to Deputy District Attorney Hans Almgren.
Munoz could face the death penalty if convicted on all charges, Almgren said, although the District Attorney’s Office has not indicated if it will pursue capital punishment.
Munoz and John Doe are accused of shooting to death Enzo Marino Rastelli and Jasper Pieter van der Meulen, both 19, on Jan. 7 as the pair sat in a parked vehicle on the 600 block of Burtis Street in a residential neighborhood near Goleta.
Rastelli attended Santa Barbara City College and van der Meulen was a UC Santa Barbara student, according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Both men were shot in the head, Sheriff Bill Brown said last week; Rastelli was declared dead at the scene, and van der Meulen died three weeks later at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
“It appears as though these murders were the result of a drug deal that went bad, and that the suspects committed a robbery rip-off…” Brown said at a press conference last week.
“The victims of this terrible crime … were two college students. Two college students who made some bad choices and fell victim to what is often thought to be a victimless crime, the illicit sale of drugs — in this case marijuana.”
Doe and a third suspect, Joshua Isaac Vega, 24, also have been charged with conspiracy to commit robbery in the case.
Investigators have not said which of the two suspects they believe fired the fatal shots.
All three suspects were arrested in a series of raids conducted last Thursday by sheriff’s deputies and police in the city of Santa Barbara.
The criminal complaint filed Monday alleges that van der Meulen contacted Munoz on Jan. 5 with an offer to sell him a half pound of marijuana for $1,000, with the pair agreeing to meet on Jan. 7 to complete the deal.
“Defendant Bryan Munoz and John Doe secured fake currency from defendant Joshua Isaac Vega, and discussed robbing victims Jasper van der Meulen and Enzo Rastelli of their marijuana,” according to the complaint.
During the course of the robbery, the complaint alleges, Rastelli and van der Meulen were fatally shot at point-blank range with a 9-mm handgun, which investigators have not said whether they have recovered.
Munoz remained in custody without bail Monday at Santa Barbara County Jail.
The 15-year-old Doe remained in custody at Juvenile Hall. Because he is under 16, he cannot be tried as an adult under state law.
If Doe is found guilty and convicted of the allegations as a juvenile, he is subject to being a ward of the court until age 25, Almgren said.
Vega has been released on $50,000 bail, and will be arraigned on April 5 on the charge of conspiracy to commit robbery, according to the District Attorney’s Office. He faces a maximum of five years in state prison if convicted.
A vehicle believed used by the suspects during the commission of the killings has been located and impounded by sheriff’s investigators, according to Raquel Zick, a sheriff’s spokeswoman.
The black Nissan Altima was recovered on Friday in the Ventura area, Zick said, adding that detectives are interested in hearing from anyone who may have seen the suspects and the vehicle the night of the killings or in the days following.
Zick added that investigators also would like to encourage anyone who has been similarly robbed to contact detectives at 805.681.4150, or leave an anonymous tip by calling 805.681.4171 or online at SBSheriff.org.
Brown stressed at a press conference last week that investigators are not interested in the drugs aspect of such incidents, only in the robberies.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.