Two brothers who admitted involvement in the 2007 shooting death of a man who was trying to keep the peace at a backyard gathering in Encanto were sentenced today to prison terms.
Jaime Lizarraga, 21, and his 25-year-old brother, Ramiro, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the slaying of 53-year-old David Coronado.
Jaime Lizarraga, who also admitted using a gun in the Nov. 18, 2007, attack, was sentenced to 18 years behind bars, His other sibling was given a 17- year term.
The victim's niece, Crystal Ricks, said her uncle lived in Lemon Grove but was well-known in Encanto for helping people get jobs and other philanthropic endeavors.
Coronado was shot once in the chest as he tried to calm down the defendants after they picked fights and shot a gun in the air.
"He didn't deserve to die this way," Ricks said of her uncle.
Deputy District Attorney Christine Bannon said the defendants were being "bullies" and "bad asses" prior to killing Coronado.
She said the victim was shot after offering the Lizarraga brothers a beer in the 6100 block of Brooklyn Avenue.
The defendants fled and were arrested four years later in Mexico.
—City News Service
