Merced gang member appears on armed-robbery charges

A Merced County gang member who was accused in a 2010 shooting but found not guilty by jurors appeared in court Wednesday facing new charges in a gang-related armed robbery.

Johnny Ray Munoz, 27, has pleaded not guilty to robbing a woman at gunpoint on Dec. 29 outside a home on Brimmer Road. His co-defendant, Andy Elias Vasquez, 22, also has pleaded not guilty.

Merced Police Department investigators say the victim’s purse was found inside the vehicle Munoz was driving, along with a stolen gun.

The Merced County District Attorney’s Office also has charged Munoz with violating a court order prohibiting him from participating in gang activity in connection with the alleged robbery, according to Nicole Silveira, the deputy district attorney prosecuting the case.

Munoz appeared Wednesday for a bail-review hearing before Judge David Moranda in Merced County Superior Court. The judge set Munoz’s bail at $490,000, according to Merced County jail records.

Munoz made headlines in 2014 when a jury found him not guilty of two counts of attempted murder. Two teenagers, Monica Garcia and Justin Gonzales, were shot Aug. 20, 2010, in Planada. Prosecutors said Munoz was one of the gunmen.

Three other defendants in the case – Ramon Manzo Jr., Jesus Ceja, and Ezequiel C. Castillo – all pleaded guilty and received lengthy prison sentences.

Munoz’s defense attorney, Bill Davis, acknowledge his client was a gang member, but said there was no strong evidence linking him to the shooting.

Prosecutors said Munoz’s thumbprint was found inside the car used in the attack. Munoz’s defense attorney argued the thumbprint had been left in the vehicle earlier.

The only witness who linked Munoz to the attack was a co-defendant who testified against Munoz in exchange for a lighter sentence. Jurors said that testimony was not credible and Munoz was acquitted.

Munoz is scheduled to appear in court again May 18 for a preliminary hearing. He remains in custody at Merced County jail.

This story was originally published March 31, 2016 at 11:35 AM with the headline "Merced gang member appears on armed-robbery charges."