Merced gang member pleads guilty in separate cases of homicide, robbery, DA says

A known Norteño gang member pleaded guilty to second-degree robbery and assault with a deadly weapon in connection with two separate crimes, according to the Merced County District Attorney’s Office.

Alfonso Martinez, 24, of Merced, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Nov. 13 in front of Judge Jeanne Schechter, to assault with a deadly weapon in connection with a 2017 murder inside a cell at the Merced jail, according to authorities.

The District Attorney’s office says Martinez was a lookout in the June 2017 jailhouse slaying when two Norteño gang members, identified by investigators as Steven Rincon and Reyes Carrillo, beat 31-year-old Aaron Bonilla, who later died as a result.

Rincon and Carrillo are scheduled to appear in court again in January. Both men have pleaded not guilty, according to Merced County Superior Court records.

Martinez also pleaded guilty for his role in a 2016 robbery of a Merced 7-Eleven. Martinez is said to have been the lookout during the robbery in which another person shot and injured the store clerk in the neck, according to the news release.

Martinez has been sentenced to a total of 25 years in prison for his roles in both crimes, prosecutors said.

This story was originally published November 15, 2018 at 4:36 PM.