Man convicted of murder of 4-year-old girl, Watsonville man given two life sentences

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION) The man convicted for the shooting deaths of a Watsonville man and a 4-year-old girl at a restaurant has been given two life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole.

Michael Escobar was found guilty of several charges, including first-degree murder, in connection to the deaths of 4-year-old Jaelyn Maria Zavala and 33-year-old Ramon Rendon.

“It's been rare in my career I’ve prosecuted somebody more deserving of spending the rest of his life behind bars. He was an absolute danger to everyone in our community...and from what we learned he had no intent in stopping his violent behavior,” Santa Cruz County Assistant District Attorney Johanna Schonfield said.

The shooting happened in October 2014 near the Fish House Bar and Grill and the Valley Inn Motel. Watsonville police responded to a call about a fight involving multiple people and possibly a weapon, and when they arrived, officers heard gunshots and saw people running from the area.

Jaelyn was in the restaurant at the time and was wounded. She later died at a hospital. A man near her, Watsonville resident Emanuel Hernandez, was shot, but his injuries were not life threatening.

Outside the motel, Rendon was found dead on the ground. He had been shot at least once.

Escobar and another man tried to run away, but police were able to arrest them.

Police said Escobar was waiting for Rendon as he got off work and shot him. Investigators believe the shooting was gang related.

Prosecutors say Jaelyn and Hernandez were caught in crossfire and were hit by gunshots while they were in the office of the restaurant.

Watsonville police said in a social media post, "This has been one of the most heartbreaking cases that has impacted our entire community, but more importantly, the victims' families who have had to endure this for the last five years. We know there isn't a sentence high enough to erase the pain these families are feeling. We continue to have the families in our thoughts and prayers."

Rendon's mother and sister gave impact statements at Escobar's sentencing. His sister called Escobar "a coward" who has shown no remorse. She said she wishes she could forgive him but can't. Thursday would have been Rendon's 39th birthday.

Zavala's family was too distraught to give a victim's impact statement.

Escobar apologized in a brief message to the court room. “I”m sorry. I’m not going to minimize or try to justify my actions,” he said.

Escobar went on to say, he didn’t remember that night because he was under the influence. He feels it wasn’t a fair trial, and Escobar’s attorney argues there was evidence not brought up in the trial such as Escobar’s troubled upbringing that he said would have been relevant.

The majority of the jury who took part in the 10 week trial showed up to Thursday's sentencing.

“Any jury would have come to the same conclusion. Any dispassionate jury who did not rely on their emotions, but only on the evidence, you would come to the same conclusion. It was overwhelming," juror Robert Kohlenberger said.

Escobar plans to appeal the verdict. The other man accused in the murder, Marcos Robles, will stand trial next month.