Two young men were sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison for chasing a Long Beach man onto a street in Santa Fe Springs, beating him and leaving him in the street, where he was soon struck and killed by a driver.
Superior Court Judge Andrew C. Kim denied the defense’s motion for a new trial for Anthony Edward Varela, 25, of Montebello, and Kyle Michael Mangubat, 26, of Pico Rivera, who were convicted of second-degree murder in connection with the Sept. 18, 2019, death of Ricky Fernando Munoz, 21.
The judge noted that the two left “an unconscious person in a lane of traffic” with a vehicle approaching, saying, “That is most certainly going to lead to death.”
“It’s just tragic and it’s sad and it’s senseless,” the judge said later.
The two men got into a vehicle and chased after Munoz and his friend following a confrontation inside a pub in the 11900 block of Telegraph Road, in which one of the defendants’ friends was knocked to the ground by Munoz’s friend after Munoz was shoved, according to Deputy District Attorney Robert Villa.
Varela and Mangubat caught up with Munoz, who was beaten and kicked and left unconscious in the street, the prosecutor said.
“By leaving him on a busy street, unconscious, with traffic coming through, they put him at peril,” Villa said outside court after the sentencing.
The driver who struck Munoz remained at the scene, called 911 and positioned his car so no one else would run over him, according to the prosecutor.
Mangubat’s attorney, Simon Aval, argued that jurors “made a mistake” by returning the second-degree murder verdict, and suggested that the judge could instead consider the lesser offense of involuntary manslaughter.
Both of the defendants were college students at the time, had no prior criminal history and were celebrating a night out for a friend’s 21st birthday, Aval said after the hearing.
Varela’s attorney, Ambrosio E. Rodriguez, called what had happened “an awful tragedy,” and told the judge that he thinks that an error was made involving a jury instruction given during the pair’s trial. He said after the hearing that the defense believes that a state appellate court panel “is going to spend time looking at the verdict.”
The victim’s sister, Karina Munoz, told the judge that her brother’s death is the biggest loss of her life, and said she wants justice for him.
She told the judge that she lost her best friend as the result of a senseless act.
“I miss him so much,” she said.
Also speaking on behalf of the family was Luz Cabral, who said Munoz didn’t have the opportunity to learn that his girlfriend was newly pregnant with a daughter who will never know her father.
The judge — who noted that he had received letters from people supporting the two defendants — also heard from three of Varela’s relatives.
Varela’s mother, Cynthia Valdez, said she feels “truly sorry” for the Munoz family’s loss.
“That night will always weigh heavily on their minds,” she said of her son and his longtime friend, Mangubat. She pleaded with the judge for “mercy” and urged him to reconsider the verdict.
Varela’s older brother said his brother is “so much more” than what happened, while his aunt said her nephew “does not know hate” and “has never been someone to seek conflict.”