Santa Barbara Man Will Face Murder Trial in Stearns Wharf Slaying

During a preliminary hearing in the Santa Barbara County Courthouse on Friday, July 7, Jiram Tenorio-Ramon, 22, of Santa Barbara, was ordered to face trial for murder and other charges in the December 9, 2022, killing of Robert “Rob” Dion Gutierrez. 

Gutierrez was visiting Santa Barbara with his wife on the evening of December 9 when he was shot and killed near Stearns Wharf, where, according to police reports, a fight had broken out between two groups of young men. Gutierrez, described as an innocent bystander, was caught in the crossfire when the two groups of rival gangs opened fire. 

While four Santa Barbara men were originally arrested and charged with murder — with the District Attorney’s Office alleging the murder was committed to benefit a Westside street gang — prosecutors filed an amended complaint on July 7, ordering Tenorio-Ramon alone to answer to all charges in the case, including murder, personal and intentional discharge of a handgun causing great bodily injury or death, and committing the alleged offense while on felony probation. He will also face special allegations of street terrorism and committing a crime to benefit a street gang.

Senior Deputy District Attorney Tate McCallister told the Independent that the preliminary hearing solely focused on Tenorio-Ramon because “he is the only remaining defendant who hasn’t pleaded guilty.” 

The three other men involved in the case — 20-year-old Ricardo Tomas Jauregui-Moreno, 21-year-old Christopher Dave Miranda, and 21-year-old James Lee Rosborough — entered guilty pleas for other charges — none being murder. Initially, Miranda and Jauregui-Moreno were also charged with murder, but these charges were dropped when they pleaded guilty to lesser crimes of “assault, assault by means of force to produce great bodily harm or injury, and principle use of a firearm,” according to McCallister.

Rosborough — who entered a guilty plea of “accessory after the fact” on June 1 — awaits sentencing in December. Jauregui-Moreno will appear in court for sentencing on December 7, and Miranda will be sentenced on January 18, 2024.

Testimony from Detective Bryce Ford at the preliminary hearing on July 7 was essential for the District Attorney’s Office amended complaint and is the basis for the prosecution’s choice to seek murder charges against Tenorio-Ramon. Detective Ford was the lead investigator in the case and is considered an expert in criminal gang organizations. 

Ford testified that in an interview with Miranda, Miranda told him that the other three defendants were driving in a car on December 9, 2022, when they recognized a group of juvenile individuals as members of a rival street gang. Miranda described to Ford how Jauregui-Moreno reached out an open window, forming a “W” with his hands to demonstrate association with the Westside gang. Miranda continued, telling Ford that Tenorio-Ramon had obtained a nine-millimeter handgun, which he brought in the car that night.

Ford testified that Rosborough said in his interview that Tenorio-Ramon bragged to him, telling Rosborough he “got one” after the shootout occurred.

Detective Ford was able to testify because, according to Prosecutor McCallister, there are “relaxed rules regarding hearsay testimony” in preliminary hearings if the investigating officer spoke with officers and witnesses personally. Because Detective Ford was the investigating officer and an expert on gang activities, the prosecutor said, “We were able to do the entire preliminary hearing through his testimony alone.”

Tenorio-Ramon will appear on August 24 at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse for arraignment. 

Correction: This story was updated on July 19 to state it was Jauregui-Moreno who used the “W” hand sign, according to court transcripts, not Tenorio-Ramon. George Steele, defense attorney for Tenorio-Ramon, said his client “was not, nor has ever been, a member of the Westside gang.”