Ventura, California – Jury selection is ongoing in a murder case dating back to 2013, where a fatal shooting took place near the Ventura County Fairgrounds. Erick Estrada, now 35 years old, is accused of involvement in the shooting death of 18-year-old Gabriel Gutierrez. Gutierrez was found dead on a bike path behind the fairgrounds. The shooting was the tragic outcome of a verbal altercation that began at the fairgrounds.
In addition to the murder charge, Estrada is also facing two counts of attempted murder for a separate shooting in October 2013 on West Mission Avenue in Ventura, in which the victim survived. Estrada has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including 60 special allegations and a special circumstance allegation of murder by lying in wait. Bail has been set at $3.5 million and Estrada remains in the Ventura County Jail.
Last week, potential jurors were called to the courtroom and given questionnaires to fill out. They have been asked to return to court for the continuation of jury selection. Meanwhile, a second defendant, Timothy Scott Adams, who was 17 years old at the time of the shooting, was also charged and later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter. Adams, now 22, was sentenced to prison in 2018.
The trial proceedings will determine whether Estrada is found guilty of murder and attempted murder charges. The court will consider the evidence and testimony presented by the prosecution and defense. The victim’s family and the accused’s family will be closely following the trial, seeking justice and closure.
As the jury selection process continues, the community awaits the outcome, hoping for a fair and just resolution to the decade-old murder case.