Anza man who killed dad with shotgun sentenced

A 26-year-old Anza man who gunned down his father when the victim tried to intervene in a dispute between the defendant and his girlfriend was sentenced today to 40 years to life in state prison.

A Murrieta jury in November convicted Anthony David Holguin of first-degree murder, illegal possession of a firearm and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations for the 2019 slaying of 40-year-old David Jose Holguin in the 39000 block of Cary Road.

During a hearing at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta Thursday.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Freer imposed the sentence required by law.

According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney's Office, Holguin was living in a trailer on his father's property at the time of the attack, sharing space with his girlfriend, whose identity was not disclosed.

Holguin and the woman were engaged in an ongoing dispute about her lack of attention to her pets, culminating in a confrontation in which the defendant slapped her on the afternoon of Nov. 13, 2019, while high on methamphetamine, court papers said.

The woman, in turn, became physical with Holguin, prompting others who resided at the property to get involved and request assistance from the young man's father.

"David Holguin went over to the trailer where the two were fighting,'' according to the brief. ``David knocked on the door, and the defendant answered it holding a camouflaged shotgun. The defendant pointed it at his father, who said, `Are you going to shoot me?' The defendant fired once, and David went down. While he was on the ground, the defendant fired again."

The victim suffered a massive chest wound, as well as wounds to his hands, according to an autopsy. He died within seconds.   

The defendant ran away and tried to conceal the shotgun in bushes a

few hundred feet from the trailer.

Both sheriff's deputies and California Highway Patrol officers were sent to the property in response to 911 calls. A CHP officer encountered Anthony Holguin standing near the trailer and arrested him.

During interviews with investigators, Holguin changed stories multiple times regarding what transpired, once claiming that his father was hitting him when he opened fire with the shotgun, and later saying he feared his father was armed with a pistol and intended to use it when he walked over to the trailer, according to court papers.  

David Holguin was not armed, and witnesses didn't support his son's claims, prosecutors said.

The defendant ultimately admitted that he had "not slept for four days because he was using methamphetamine, smoking marijuana and drinking,'' the brief said.

"He was angry and wanted to leave the trailer, but his father would not let him,'' the narrative said, referring to Holguin's statements. "The defendant said he just wanted to leave but he felt trapped, and `When I feel trapped, I do what I have to do.'"

Doctors familiar with Holguin said the young man had a troubled past, going back to when he was in elementary school and diagnosed with "intermittent explosive disorder,'' resulting in destructive temper tantrums, according to the brief.   

Despite this, psychologists determined the defendant could distinguish between right and wrong and knew what firing a shotgun would do to another person.

Court records show Holguin had a series of undisclosed juvenile convictions.