Law enforcement was left “shocked” and “outraged” after a California judge ordered the release of a murder suspect and alleged gang member with no bail as he awaits trial.
Santa Clara County Judge Hector Ramon ordered that Vicente Aguilera-Chavez be released on his own recognizance during an Oct. 31 hearing, prompting the office of District Attorney Jeff Rosen to file a motion asking the judge to reconsider.
“Very concerned for the safety of our community, shocked really,” Rosen told NBC Bay Area.
(Video Credit: NBC Bay Area)
“This is a case where somebody charged with first-degree murder, with a gun, for the benefit of a criminal street gang, who had strike offenses before this murder and strike offenses after the murder, and was sent to prison on other charges before the murder,” Rosen said. “My concern is for everybody in our community that this individual could hurt.”
Fox News reported:
Vicente Aguilera-Chavez and Agustin Sandoval were arrested in January in connection with a June 8, 2017, shooting that left a 21-year-old dead and a 24-year-old injured, according to KTVU.
Aguilera was charged with murder following an alleged gang-related shooting in a Sunnyvale, California, nightclub parking lot, according to the Mercury News. Both men were charged in the death of 21-year-old Edu Veliz-Salgado. A 24-year-old was also injured during the alleged shooting, but survived. The case went cold until 2024, when detectives with the Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety identified the suspects in 2024.
“The court is gambling he does not pose a risk to public safety because he has not been arrested for the last few years,” states the motion filed by the DA’s office. “The court should give equal weight to his criminal history … and the fact that he brazenly murdered a stranger in front of a crowd because the stranger was drunk and mouthing off.”
Aguilera’s defense attorney, Deputy Public Defender Jennifer Redding, claimed there is “no evidence” that Aguilera “would present any risk of bodily harm to others.”
“Mr. Aguilera is motivated to clear his name. … There is no compelling interest in detaining Mr. Aguilera on public safety grounds or out of concern he is a flight risk,” Redding’s motion seeking her client’s release read.
Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety Lt. Devon Klein said he was “outraged” by the judge’s actions, contending that “Ramon” has a “pattern” of releasing repeat offenders.
“I’m outraged,” Klein said. “I’m outraged that Judge Ramon would release such a violent offender simply back into our streets.”
“Not only are they repeat offenders, but Judge Ramon is a repeat offender,” Klein told NBC Bay Area. “He has a pattern of releasing repeat offenders back into our communities.”
The news outlet noted that the San Jose police union “sent a letter to the district attorney last year, asking him to file what’s called a peremptory challenge in hopes of getting Ramon removed from hearing criminal cases.”
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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