Defense testimony begins in trial of Cathedral City man accused of killing teen

MURRIETA, Calif. (KESQ) - Defense testimony began today in the trial of a young man accused of fatally shooting a 17-year-old Cathedral City boy during a street confrontation possibly stemming from ill-will that developed when the two worked together.

Juan Alfredo Landeros Garcia, 26, of Cathedral City, is charged with first-degree murder, shooting at an occupied vehicle and sentence-enhancing gun and great bodily injury allegations in the 2020 slaying of Isaiah Guerra.   

The prosecution rested Tuesday in the roughly weeklong trial, and when jurors returned to the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta Wednesday, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Johnnetta Anderson permitted the defense to open its case.

Garcia is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Byrd Detention Center.

According to a trial brief filed by the District Attorney's Office, on the evening of April 4, 2020, Garcia was walking to a relative's house, crossing near the intersection of Avenida Alvera and McCallum Way, when Guerra drove up in his Hyundai Elantra.

The victim got Garcia's attention, but it was unclear what words were exchanged between them. Prosecutors said they had worked together at a Palm Springs Italian restaurant previously, though specific details about their on-the-job relationship and any conflicts were speculative.

During the roadside encounter, Garcia allegedly pulled a 9mm semiautomatic handgun and fired 10 times, striking Guerra in the chest, arms and legs as he sat in the driver's seat of the four-door sedan, according to the brief.

The fatally wounded motorist attempted to drive away but crashed 300 feet from where the gunfire erupted, his vehicle coming to rest on a sidewalk, prosecutors said. He died at the scene.

As witnesses called 911, Garcia ran from the location, tearing off his shirt and throwing the pistol onto a rooftop, the brief stated. Security surveillance cameras mounted on homes throughout the neighborhood captured the defendant in his flight, recording images of his tattoos and other salient identifying marks later used to confirm he was the alleged shooter, court papers said.

Cathedral City police detectives obtained a warrant for Garcia's arrest less than a week later, and he was taken into custody without incident at a family member's property on Modalo Road.

The defendant admitted to his girlfriend, whose identity was not disclosed, that he'd shot the victim, but insisted that the teenager had "banged" on him, referring to gang-related hostility, then asked him, ``Do you remember me?'' according to the brief.   

Garcia told the woman he had pulled his gun and fired it in self-defense.    The defendant has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County, but at the time of his arrest, he was awaiting disposition of an attempted robbery case.