A South Gate man accused of gunning down a man in Newhall in 2016 was sentenced Friday to 21 years in state prison after pleading guilty Wednesday to voluntary manslaughter.
Joseph Monroy, 37, appeared today in San Fernando Superior Court charged with murder in the shooting death of 21-year-old Rudy Gonzalez.
“Joseph Wayne Monroy pleaded guilty on Wednesday to voluntary manslaughter and admitted personal use of a gun in a plea agreement,” Paul Eakins, spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office told The Signal.
“He was sentenced to 21 years in state prison (Friday),” Eakins said.
Monroy was arrested by South Gate police officers Jan. 25, 2016, while he was allegedly trying to steal a car, Lt. Dave Coleman of the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s Homicide Bureau said at the time.
South Gate police booked Monroy on suspicion of gunning down Rudy Gonzalez, who was killed on Jan. 21, 2016, outside the apartment building in Newhall where he lived. The building is on Costa Brava near Valle Del Oro, just east of Newhall Avenue.
Coleman said the shooting was not gang-related.
On the day of the fatal shooting, deputies with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station searched for two suspects described as adult Hispanic males. One suspect was described as having a shaved head and wearing blue jeans. No description of the second suspect was given.
The two fled the scene in a Blue Chevy Astro passenger minivan on Valle Del Oro toward Dockweiler Drive, according to a Sheriff’s Department radio report at the time.
More than a dozen deputies quickly cordoned off an area with tape around the apartment complex and road blocks were set up at Newhall Avenue and Valle Del Oro as deputies interviewed witnesses.
A weapon was reportedly recovered at the scene.
Paramedics with the Los Angeles County Fire Department rushed Gonzalez to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
Homicide detectives said Monroy was arrested four days after the Gonzalez shooting by South Gate police investigating a vehicle burglary.
“Essentially, he was trying to steal a car,” the lieutenant said. “But because they had our flyer with his picture, they had him detained for murder.”
