DA: Woman who stabbed and killed 14-year-old Salinas boy in 2014 granted parole
SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV)- The Monterey County District Attorney's Office said that on May 3, a woman convicted of second-degree murder in Salinas was granted parole during a Youthful Offender parole hearing held by the California Board of Parole.
Angela Zuniga, 21 at the time, pleaded guilty to stabbing Ricardo Ruiz after asking him if he "banged" after taking a plea deal to avoid a first-degree murder conviction. She served 9 years and eight months of a 15 to life sentence, according to District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni.
The district attorney's office said that at the time of the crime, she approached a group of five people in front of the Jaliscience Taqueria. She asked the boy if he was affiliated with a gang, and after a short exchange stabbed the boy on the left side of his neck with a knife, said Pacioni.
She then made a declaration of being a gang member from King City. Good Samaritans tried saving the boy, he was rushed to the hospital, but died four days after being transferred to Stanford Medical Center.
She was arrested in 2014 in Tijuana, Mexico and pleaded guilty in 2016.
At the May 3, 2023 parole hearing, the victim’s grandmother, mother, siblings and extended family were in attendance and pleaded with the Board of Parole not to release Ricardo’s murderer. The victim’s grandmother told the Board her grandson was very young and had his whole life ahead of him, and that he was a brother, a son, and a grandson, but above all else, a child of God. She begged the Board to keep Ms. Zuniga behind bars. The Salinas Chief of Police submitted his written, adamant opposition to Ms. Zuniga’s parole.
Jeannine M. Pacioni
The board found that Zuniga showed true remorse and credibility to be granted parole. They listed her accomplishment during her sentence .
She is expected to be released May 1, 2024.
Salinas murder suspect arrested at U.S.-Mexican border due in court Tuesday
A murder suspect arrested by border authorities recently is due in Monterey County Superior Court Tuesday morning to confirm a preliminary hearing.
Angela Zuniga is charged with the fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old Salinas boy last year.
Earlier this month, Zuniga was arrested in Tijuana, Mexico and turned over to U.S. authorities. She was then extradited to Monterey County and is currently being held in jail here. She was arraigned last week and pleaded not guilty.
Salinas police say Zuniga and another woman confronted Ricardo Ruiz near the intersection of East Alisal and North Madeira in May 2013, confronting him about his gang affiliation. They say that when Ruiz confirmed he was in a gang, Zuniga began stabbing him in the neck. He later died at a local hospital.
