A man who authorities say shot a Marine to death outside a strip club in San Bernardino in 2016 before fleeing to Mexico was convicted of murder Tuesday, June 25.
The jury also found Arturo Perez Medina, 24, guilty of being in a criminal street gang and being a felon in possession of a firearm, San Bernardino police homicide Sgt. Al Tello said in a news release. The family of the victim, 20-year-old Douglas Rivas of Twentynine Palms, flew in from Maryland for the verdict, and Marines also attended, Tello said.
On April 17, 2016, Rivas was serving as a designated driver when he and his fellow Marines were at the Flesh Club, 100 W. Hospitality Lane, when the fatal shooting took place. While Rivas was outside his vehicle waiting for his friends, police say Medina approached him and — for unknown reasons — shot and killed Rivas.
Police have described Rivas as an innocent victim.
Authorities say Medina and three others, later identified as Carlos Alfredo Aznaran, Henry Nuñez and Raul Cervantes, drove off. Superior Court records show that a charge against Aznaran of being an accessory was dropped. Court records do not indicate that Nuñez or Cervantes were charged.
“Our Forensic Unit was able to help identify one of the suspects involved, which ultimately broke the case open and the shooter was eventually identified,” Tello said.
Medina, who investigators say was hiding in Tijuana, was arrested in October 2016.
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© 2019 the San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, Calif.)
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