Reason For Union City Murder Revealed

UNION CITY, CA — A 46-year-old Union City man who's charged with murder for the death of a 64-year-old extended family member during an argument last week was upset because his father and the victim wanted to take him to a psychiatric hospital for treatment, according to court documents.

John Ashley Gordon had been kicked out of the house where he lived in the 4400 block of 4400 Lisa Drive in Union City on the night of Nov. 8, Union City police Officer Jon Persinger wrote in a probable cause statement.

However, Persinger wrote that when police responded to the residence, officers decided that Gordon didn't meet the criteria for involuntary committal to a care facility at that time.

The following morning, Nov. 9, Gordon's father, whose name hasn't been disclosed, and the victim, Leyva Aniano, picked him up to take him to the John George Psychiatric Hospital in San Leandro, Persinger wrote.

Gordon became angry when he found out about the plan to take him to the psychiatric facility and he got into an argument with Aniano, according to Persinger.

Gordon then opened the car door, grabbed Aniano, pulled him outside the car and got into a fight with him, Persinger wrote. Gordon's father told police the fight "sounded like the sounds of boxing and then it got quiet," Persinger wrote.

Gordon's father also told police that "there had been some sort of bad blood between Gordon and Aniano in the past," Persinger wrote.

A Union City public works employee who witnessed the fight began doing chest compressions on Aniano to try to save his life and paramedics also tried to help Aniano, but he succumbed to his injuries and was
pronounced dead at the scene at 11:36 a.m., police said.

Paramedics told police that Gordon told them that Aniano had threatened him with a gun, according to Persinger.

But Gordon later told police that he knew that Aniano had a heart problem along with other medical conditions, Persinger wrote.

The Alameda County corner's bureau conducted an autopsy on Aniano and concluded that he died of a heart attack that likely resulted from his physical altercation with Gordon, Persinger wrote.

Aniano wasn't a blood relative to Gordon and his father but was effectively raised by Gordon's father and originally was a neighbor when he was growing up, the officer wrote.

Gordon, who's being held without bail at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, was arraigned on the murder charge in Alameda County Superior Court in Dublin on Monday and is scheduled to return to court next Monday to enter a plea.

— Bay City News; Image via Union City Police