In the early morning hours of April 23, 2023, a dispute in the parking lot of the Blue Diamond Cabaret, a nightclub located just east of Stillwater, Oklahoma, escalated into a fatal shooting. The victim was identified as Marco Antonio De Leon, a 22-year-old male who was originally from Texas and had been working in the Cushing area as an oilfield contractor. The altercation, which began as a fistfight, ended with De Leon sustaining at least eight gunshot wounds.
One of the shots, which struck him in the center of his chest, proved to be the fatal wound. According to investigators, the evidence suggested that this final shot was fired while De Leon was already on the ground. Emergency medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene, which was located in the grass on the east side of the club's parking lot.
The investigation into the homicide quickly pointed to Joaquin Daniel Ruiz-Medrano, a 28-year-old from Stillwater. Investigators located a cell phone at the scene that was believed to belong to him. The day after the shooting, Ruiz-Medrano, accompanied by his lawyer and a witness, surrendered to the Payne County Sheriff's Office, bringing a gun with him. He was subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Initially, Ruiz-Medrano and a friend who was with him at the time of the incident concocted a story of self-defense, claiming that De Leon had been the aggressor and had brandished a gun. However, this claim was contradicted by witness statements and the fact that no other firearm was found at the scene. The investigation revealed that after the shooting, Ruiz-Medrano had his friend return to the cabaret in an attempt to find his lost phone, knowing it could link him to the crime.
Joaquin Daniel Ruiz-Medrano was held without bail at the Payne County Jail. As the case proceeded, the charge against him was reduced from first-degree murder to first-degree manslaughter. In February 2025, Ruiz-Medrano pleaded no contest to the amended charge. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, to be followed by eight years of probation. He received credit for the time he had already served in jail since his arrest.
