Redwood City Gang Member Gets Max Sentence For 2015 Murder

REDWOOD CITY, CA – A 21-year-old gang member convicted of first-degree murder for the 2015 fatal shooting of a man at a house party in Half Moon Bay was sentenced to 53 years to life in prison Thursday, according to San Mateo County prosecutors.

Abraham Ramirez Arroyo, of Redwood City, received the maximum sentence allowable under state law, and Judge Mark Forcum said that nothing less was deserved for the crime, which occurred around 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 29, 2015.

Arroyo and his co-defendant, 37-year-old Armando Carranza of Hayward, summoned 21-year-old Felix Garduno-Vega out into the front yard and Arroyo shot him with a .380-caliber handgun after an argument, prosecutors said.

They fled in Carranza's vehicle. Carranza surrendered Sept. 1, 2015, and Arroyo was apprehended in Visalia Sept. 8 after a police pursuit. The murder weapon was found in his vehicle, according to the district attorney's office.

On Feb. 27 of this year, Arroyo was found guilty of first-degree murder and felony evading with enhancements for use of a firearm and gang affiliation. In addition to his prison sentence, Arroyo was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine and $5,000 restitution to the victim's family for funeral expenses, prosecutors said.

Carranza was found guilty of second-degree murder with enhancements for use of a firearm and gang affiliation. He was sentenced in April to 40 years to life in prison.

Judge Forcum called the case an indictment of gang culture in San Mateo County, according to prosecutors.

– By Bay City News Service / Image via Shutterstock