Teen faces years in prison

An idiotic crime, pulled off by a 15-year-old boy to please his fellow gang members.

That's how a prosecutor described the case of Jonathan Eduardo Medina, who will serve 31 years in state prison after pleading no contest to fatally shooting 34-year-old Antonio Noia.

A plea agreement was reached in Medina's case Monday and he'll be formally sentenced by Judge John Kirihara on Aug. 23.

Medina was the triggerman and one of four people accused in Noia's death, which happened outside an Atwater apartment the evening of Feb. 16, 2008. Medina, who is 18, was 15 at the time of the killing.

The defendant pleaded to felony counts of voluntary manslaughter and personal use of a firearm. The manslaughter charge also had an enhancement for committing the crime for the benefit of a criminal street gang.

Deputy District Attorney David Elgin, prosecutor in the case, said the defendant's age at the time of the crime was a key factor in making the plea agreement. "We're holding him accountable as an adult, but he was still 15 years old," Elgin said.

Medina shot the victim at the direction of older members of his gang, Elgin said. The gang members instructed him to change into dark clothes and directed him to Noia's whereabouts. Atwater police responded to the scene at 7:48 p.m. in the 2800 block of Determine Drive, finding Noia's bullet-riddled body slumped over the rear seat of a blue Ford Bronco.

Elgin said the case exemplifies gang stupidity. "We have one man whose life has ended, and an 18-year-old who will be in prison until his 40s", Elgin said. "And (six) kids are going to grow up without a father, all because of gang idiocy."

Medina's attorney Tom Pfeiff said his client had been charged with murder and could have faced life in prison -- if the case had gone to trial. "(The plea) is the best outcome possible under all of the circumstances, considering the facts of the case," Pfeiff said.

The co-defendants in the case, Alejandro Mena Cervantes, 23, Reggie Steve Gonzales, 20, and Juan Victor Castro, 23, all pleaded no contest to accessory charges in 2008. They were each sentenced to five years in state prison.

After the homicide was reported, the victim's family maintained he wasn't a gang member. Police said there was no indication Noia had been involved with gangs before his death, although he had a tattoo commonly associated with gangs.

Noia's family members said he was driving trucks for a local concrete company at the time of his death.

Under questioning, Medina at first denied killing Noia, saying he was at a party in Delhi when the crime happened, according to a police report.

During the interview, however, he broke down crying and eventually confessed. He also wrote an apology letter to the victim's family, acknowledging he'd made a mistake when joined a gang and how it was stupid to kill someone "just for a color."

Known by the gang moniker "La Hormiga," (Spanish for ant), Medina claimed he'd had a run-in with Noia before the shooting, claiming the victim called him a derogatory gang slur.

Medina said he was approached by other members of his gang to do a "jale" (job), saying Noia was in front of an apartment -- and asking Medina to kill him. Medina told police he wasn't threatened or forced, but knew he had to do something to "prove" himself to the gang.

He was given a .357 Magnum revolver by Cervantes, went home and changed into all-black clothes, with a bandana covering the lower part of his face. Medina said Castro gave him a dark hooded sweater to better cover his face.

Walking northbound on Determine Drive, Medina approached the blue Ford Bronco and saw Noia inside. The victim appeared to be working on something, as he was bent over the Bronco's back seat, facing the back of the vehicle, according to Medina's statement.

Noia then saw Medina and appeared as if he were going to say something. Medina fired a round at close range through a passenger side window. He continued firing until he'd expended all of the gun's rounds.

Medina said he ran back to a trailer where his fellow gang members were gathered. He gave the gun to his friends and changed clothes. While his friends praised him for his actions and tried to "cheer him up," Medina said he felt bad, since he'd never seen someone shot before.

He felt like crying, but didn't want to in front of his fellow gang members, according to the report. Medina said he later went into a bathroom and cried.

Medina, who said he was "jumped into" (initiated) the gang eight months before the shooting, must serve at least 85 percent of his sentence. He'll be around 42 years old when he's eligible for parole.

Reporter Victor A. Patton can be reached at (209) 385-2431 or vpatton@mercedsun-star.com.