Gang member who murdered five people slated for sentencing Friday

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KESQ) - A death sentence is expected to be handed down tomorrow for a Banning gang member who conspired in, or otherwise perpetrated five killings -- sometimes just for sport -- around the city over a years-long span.

In October, after deliberating only a few hours, a Riverside jury recommend capital punishment for William Arnold Armendariz III, 28, for his deadly crimes.

Armendariz had pleaded guilty in July to five counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder, as well as a special circumstance allegation of killing for the benefit of a criminal street gang and numerous sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations, according to court records.  

The jury was convened at the Riverside Hall of Justice expressly to determine whether he should receive life in prison without the possibility of parole, or the death penalty. After roughly three weeks of testimony, jurors recommended the latter. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Matthew Perantoni is slated to follow the panel's recommendation during the sentencing hearing Friday.  

The defendant is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail. Several of his co-defendants were convicted in prior years.   

"Taking these criminals off the streets has been a long process but has made the city of Banning a safer place for all residents and visitors,'' Banning Police Capt. Brandon Smith said in October. "Although the recent convictions do not bring loved ones back to their families, the Banning Police Department hopes to have provided some justice and closure to the families."  

Armendariz, a documented gang member, was directly involved in the slayings of 21-year-old Bradley Cunningham, 53-year-old James Lara Jr., 48-year-old Felicia McCafferty, 51-year-old Charles Neazer and 42-year-old Theresa Sanchez.

The first murder occurred in the predawn hours of Nov. 7, 2015, near Fifth and Williams streets, where Neazer was gunned down by the defendant, according to investigators.   

On the night of July 1, 2018, he targeted Cunningham and the victim's friend in the area of Lincoln Street and Navajo Road, killing Cunningham in the street. The victim's friend narrowly escaped death, police said.   

On the afternoon of Aug. 30, 2020, Lara, McCafferty and Sanchez were gunned down while gathered at San Gorgonio Memorial Park Cemetery.

"It came out at trial that the gang had a game, where they'd get points for killing people,'' Supervising Deputy District Attorney Kevin Beechem told City News Service.

The prosecutor said the cemetery slayings stemmed from a perceived gang-related rivalry between Lara and Armendariz's affiliates. When hostilities erupted at the site, McCafferty and Sanchez attempted to intervene on Lara's behalf and were killed along with him.   

The cases were cold until detectives gathered sufficient forensic and eyewitness evidence to tie them together, ultimately identifying Armendariz as the principal conspirator. His younger brother, Christopher Armendariz, and several other gang members were implicated as well.

Initially, there were multiple cases in which William Armendariz was a named defendant, though they were eventually consolidated. He was arrested without incident on a fugitive warrant in September 2020 in St. Louis, Missouri, and extradited to California.

While proceedings were pending in his case, most of his co-conspirators' cases were resolved. Samuel Vasquez, who was involved in the Neazer killing and that of another man, Henry Waters Jr., in February 2017, was convicted of two counts of murder and other offenses and sentenced in 2023 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.   

Christopher Armendariz admitted voluntary manslaughter and criminal street gang activity charges and was sentenced in 2022 to 11 years in prison.   

Brandon Hylkema pleaded guilty in 2023 to manslaughter and gang activity counts in connection with Cunningham's death. He's slated for sentencing on Feb. 13 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

Another conspirator, Jovanny Daniel Martinez, is set to go on trial in late January at the downtown courthouse for murder, also stemming from the Cunningham killing.

Both he and Hylkema are being held without bail at county correctional facilities.