Felon Convicted of Killing Teen in Sidewalk Robbery

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By City News Service

A convicted felon who stabbed a Hemet boy during a street robbery was convicted Thursday of first-degree murder.

A Murrieta jury deliberated one day before finding 23-year-old Francisco Roy Zavala of Hemet guilty in the Jan. 14, 2013, death of 16-year-old Eric Ronald Sargeant Jr.

Along with the murder count, jurors found true a special circumstance allegation that the crime occurred during the commission of a robbery. Zavala is facing the death penalty, and Riverside County Superior Court Judge Angel Bermudez scheduled opening statements in the penalty trial for Tuesday morning.

Zavala’s co-defendants, 19-year-old Francisco Siordia of San Jacinto and 17-year-old Joseph Venegas of Hemet, are being tried separately. Closing arguments in their trial are expected to conclude Friday.

PREVIOUSLY:

• Trial to Begin for Trio Accused in Hemet Teen’s Murder
• Jury Selection Suspended for Trio Accused in Teen’s Murder
• Jury Selection Underway for Trio Accused in Teen’s Murder

According to prosecutors, the victim was stabbed multiple times near the intersection of Acacia Avenue and Cherrywood Drive, only a couple of blocks from his home. Sheriff’s investigators said the defendants were walking to a liquor store when they spotted the boy alone, talking or texting on his phone.

The threesome confronted him, demanding that he hand over the device, but he refused, at which point Zavala pulled a seven-inch kitchen knife and began slashing and stabbing the victim, witnesses and investigators testified.

The tten was stabbed twice in the upper chest and had a number of defensive wounds. He collapsed into a gutter, and passers-by came to his aid. The defendants were identified and tracked down within a couple of days.

The teen lived another five hours and was able to briefly speak with detectives prior to going into surgery, which he did not survive, according to Deputy District Attorney Dan DeLimon.

Zavala is being held at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta. Siordia and Venegas are being held at Murrieta Juvenile Hall.

Because they were minors at the time of the crime, the pair were not eligible for the death penalty and are facing life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.

The defendants are all distantly related. During interviews with detectives, Siordia and Venegas both pointed to Zavala as the aggressor in the attack and claimed they were not aware of what he planned to do, according to the prosecution.

Court records show Zavala has a 2011 conviction for burglary and a 2010 conviction for vandalism.