David Phillip Pena was a 28-year-old Hispanic man from Pomona, California, described by those who knew him as kind. He attended local schools, including Lexington Elementary, Fremont Junior High, and Garey High School.
In the early morning of September 20, 2019, Pena was sitting in his parked car in the 1300 block of South Park Avenue after a night of work. A dark-colored vehicle pulled up alongside him, and an occupant opened fire. Pena was struck by multiple gunshots.
Authorities said the gunfire also caused Pena’s car to ignite. When Pomona police officers and Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel responded to reports of shots fired and a vehicle on fire, they discovered Pena’s body inside the burned car. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office later determined that he died as a result of shotgun wounds to his chest, not from the fire.
The investigation, led by the Pomona Police Special Investigations Unit and the Major Crimes Task Force, quickly identified a suspect. Six days later, on September 26, 2019, authorities arrested Gerardo Jesus Zendejas, a 26-year-old man from La Habra. He was taken into custody and booked on a charge of murder.
The case proceeded to trial, where evidence revealed a motive for the killing. Prosecutors established that Zendejas and David Pena were romantically involved with the same woman. According to the district attorney’s office, Zendejas drove from his home in La Habra to Pomona and murdered Pena. On August 12, 2021, a jury convicted Gerardo Jesus Zendejas of first-degree murder and shooting from a motor vehicle. The conviction was the last reported development in the case as of August 2021.
