Man Convicted of Second-Degree Murder in Deadly Peninsula Street Fight

REDWOOD CITY, CA — A 56-year-old man described as a transient was convicted of second-degree murder this week in connection with a deadly street fight near Redwood City in 2014, according to prosecutors. After two days of deliberations, the jury returned the guilty verdict on Tuesday.

Paul Robert Ahern was arrested after sheriff's deputies responded to Middlefield Road and Fourth Street around 8:15 p.m. June 9, 2014, on report of a man down in the street. Michael Gonzales, 46, was found facedown on a sidewalk with Ahern nearby, and witnesses reported that the two men had been fighting in the street. Gonzales was pronounced dead at the scene.

Prosecutors would later allege that Ahern slammed the victim's head against the ground, punched him repeatedly, slammed his head into a car repeatedly and choked the man.

Ahern testified that he fought in self-defense, claiming that Gonzales was the aggressor, according to San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.

The victim's death was caused by blunt force trauma to the head, Wagstaffe said.

"The jury very carefully analyzed it to come up with the right result," Wagstaffe said. "It was excellent work."

"It gave us justice, we were glad the victim's family was there to hear the verdict," Wagstaffe said.

Ahern's conviction comes after a 14-day jury trial and three days of deliberations. He faces 15-years-to-life when he returns to court for sentencing on May 19.

— Bay City New Service contributed to this report / Image