Jury selection to get underway in 2010 shooting

Jury selection for attempted murder suspect Johnny Ray Munoz is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. today.

Munoz, 26, has pleaded not guilty to two counts of attempted murder in connection with the Aug. 30, 2010, shooting of teenagers Monica Garcia and Justin Gonzales in Planada.

The Merced County District Attorney’s Office has said Munoz and three others were looking for gang rivals when they opened fire on Garcia and Gonzales standing outside a home on Broadway Avenue in Planada.

Investigators have said the victims were not involved in gangs but were shot because one of them happened to be wearing a blue shirt.

Co-defendants Ramon Manzo and Jesus Ceja have pleaded guilty to charges of premeditated attempted murder. Manzo was sentenced to 37 years in state prison, and Ceja was ordered to serve a life sentence with the possibility of parole. Ceja must serve at least 15 years before he is eligible for his first parole hearing, according to Merced Superior Court records.

A third defendant in the case, Ezequiel C. Castillo, 24, who was the driver on the night in question, pleaded guilty earlier this year to aiding the three shooters and was sentenced to 11 years in prison, authorities said.

Munoz, if convicted, faces a potential sentence of life in prison.

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This story was originally published December 2, 2014 at 6:59 PM with the headline "Jury selection to get underway in 2010 shooting."