Oxnard man convicted of murdering 2 during 2017 robberies
A jury on Thursday convicted an Oxnard man of two counts of first-degree murder for a pair of fatal shootings amid a string of robberies in 2017.
David Flores, 25, was also found guilty of three counts of second-degree robbery. Jurors found true multiple special allegations, including gun enhancements, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office reported. Flores is listed as David Napoleon Diaz Flores in court records.
Two accomplices previously pleaded guilty in the case.
The killings took place on the night of May 16, 2017, during what Oxnard police called a robbery crime spree. Two victims were shot and killed within 30 minutes, although one victim’s body was found hours later in a different part of town. Three other victims were robbed at gunpoint, prosecutors said. Flores was 19 at the time of the murders.
The victims, both fathers and Oxnard residents, weren’t connected to each other and had no violent histories or gang ties, police officials said.
Aaron Austin, 29, an emergency medical technician who had moved to Oxnard from the Bay Area, was returning home from the gym when he was gunned down, according to police. He had a son and daughter who were 9 and 3 at the time of Flores’ arrest. Austin was found shot near an apartment complex in the 300 block of North G Street around 9:15 p.m. on the night of the 16th.
Eduardo Viveros Leon, 23, had moved from Mexico to Oxnard and had an infant son at the time of his death, authorities said. He had been coming home from the laundromat when he was struck by gunfire. His body was found the following morning, around 5:30 a.m., in an alley in the 5400 block of Perkins Road. Police generally referred to him as Eduardo Leon during their investigation, while the DA’s office names him as Eduardo Viveros.
Austin was shot four times and Viveros three, prosecutors said.
Oxnard detectives ultimately arrested the three suspects in February 2018 after linking the complex set of crimes through a fingerprint at the G Street crime scene, Oxnard Police Department officials said during a briefing after the arrests.
The case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy DA John Barrick.
Two other defendants in the case, both of Oxnard, previously entered pleas.
Joel Randy Montijo, 27, pleaded guilty in July to one count of second-degree murder and four counts of second-degree robbery. He will be sentenced on April 13.
Joseph Angel Martinez, 24, pleaded guilty in 2020 to two counts of voluntary manslaughter and multiple robbery charges. Sentencing is April 20.
Flores will be sentenced at 9 a.m. on April 19 in room 47 of Ventura County Superior Court.
This story may be updated.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Jurors find Oxnard man guilty of 2 murders during 2017 robbery spree
