BONITA, Calif. — A gang member who shot and killed a 19-year-old college student during a street brawl in Bonita, appeared Friday in Chula Vista court for sentencing.
Family members of the victim, Janessa Del Valle, were not happy when the judge sentenced the gunman to 10 years.
“She was a college student she had her whole life ahead of her,” the victim’s stepmother, Valerie Del Valle, said in court.
The family members came face to face in court with Giovanny Rodriguez, 21, a gang member who shot and killed Del Valle on July 4, 2020 in Bonita.
“It’s hard to explain to a 12-year-old after their sister gets murdered that they arrested somebody and that they'll get out pretty soon. How do you explain that to a 12-year-old,” said Valerie Del Valle.
Originally charged with murder, use of a firearm and gang enhancements, Rodriguez was facing 50 years to life in prison. But he agreed to a plea deal in advance of a preliminary hearing.
The stipulated sentence: 10 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter. Rodriguez already has credits for more than year in custody, so he could be paroled in five years.
That did not sit well with the victim's father.
“If you get sentenced to 10 years, do the whole 10 years, ‘cause I'm not okay with you being home in five,” said Orlando Del Valle in court.
The shooting happened in the 5100 block of Cedarwood Road, after a group of teenage girls started bullying each other on social media and then met up in person.
The 19-year-old victim stabbed a 14-year-old girl in the neck before the defendant pulled out a gun and shot her, according to the defense attorney representing Rodriguez.
That stabbing was a major factor in the plea bargain, that resulted in the murder charges being reduced to voluntary manslaughter, the public defender told News 8.
“I pray God has mercy on your soul, and just because we feel justice is not being served, doesn't mean that it won't be,” the victim’s aunt, Sonia Abeita, said in open court.
Rodriguez will have to register as a gang offender when he gets out of prison.
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