Jose Gutierrez was murdered on January 21, 1990, in Compton, California. According to court records, Gutierrez was at the Mazatlan Bar when he was fatally shot by Abelino Manriquez. Witnesses described Gutierrez as sitting at the bar, asleep, with his head resting on his arm when Manriquez approached him, grabbed him by the neck, and shot him multiple times. The attack appeared to be unprovoked, and Gutierrez had no known prior altercations with Manriquez.
Manriquez was later arrested and charged with multiple murders, including the killing of Gutierrez. He was found guilty of the murders of Miguel Garcia, George Martinez, Efrem Baldia, and Jose Gutierrez, all of which occurred separately over a span of time. The jury determined that Manriquez personally used a handgun in each of the crimes and found true the special circumstance of multiple murders. As a result, he was sentenced to death.
The case against Manriquez was extensively litigated, with appeals reaching the California Supreme Court. The court upheld the conviction and sentence, affirming that the evidence presented during the trial supported the jury’s findings. The prosecution detailed Manriquez’s history of violent behavior, including previous shootings and altercations, which contributed to the decision to impose the death penalty.
Gutierrez’s murder was one of several committed by Manriquez during a spree of violence in Los Angeles County. His death, along with the others, was a key factor in the legal proceedings that ultimately led to Manriquez’s conviction and sentencing.
