MURRIETA – A 24-year-old probationer who allegedly shot three men, one fatally, during a confrontation in Perris pleaded guilty today to voluntary manslaughter and was immediately sentenced to nine years in prison.
Jonathan Manriquez of Lake Elsinore was also charged with one felony count and two felony counts of assault with a gun, according to court records. He also faced sentence-enhancing allegations of discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury, using a firearm and causing great bodily injury.
He pleaded guilty Friday at the Southwest Justice Center to voluntary manslaughter and admitted to one sentence-enhancing allegation of using a firearm, according to court records. His other charges were dismissed and the sentence-enhancing allegations were stricken.
He was immediately sentenced to nine years in prison, according to Riverside County District Attorney’s office public information specialist Brooke Beare.
According to sheriff’s Sgt. Ben Ramirez, shortly before 1 a.m. on Aug. 14, 2022, Manriquez was involved in an unspecified dispute with the three victims, among whom was 36-year-old Robert Chavez of Perris.
During the confrontation, Manriquez pulled a handgun and fired multiple rounds, allegedly hitting all three men, according to court documents.
Ramirez said that Chavez was killed on the spot. The other two men were seriously wounded.
Manriquez fled the location before patrol deputies arrived, the sergeant said.
In the ensuing 24 hours, homicide detectives were able to gather sufficient evidence pointing to the defendant as the shooter. He was arrested without incident the following day, while seeking treatment for undisclosed injuries at Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar.
The two wounded individuals were identified in court documents only as “F.M.,” and “S.C.”
Court records show that Manriquez has prior misdemeanor convictions for reckless driving and hit-and-run resulting in property damage.
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