DUBLIN — In a case where two East Bay men fired guns at each other, but killed a 19-year-old woman, jurors returned the exact same verdict against both men Wednesday morning.
Willie Samuels, 28, and Fernando Sevilla, 42, both escaped murder convictions, but jurors found them guilty of voluntary manslaughter and gun enhancements in the death of Brentwood resident Madalyn Sandoval. The trial stemmed from a shooting at 3:30 a.m. on Nov. 6, 2020, near San Antonio Park in Oakland.
The jury deliberated for several days, and the verdict came two days after one juror privately voiced concerns about how deliberations were going to the judge. As speculation rose about the potential for a mistrial, jurors announced Wednesday they had agreed on a manslaughter verdict.
The verdict presents another crossroads for the Alameda County District Attorney’s office. During the trial, new DA Pamela Price issued a directive telling her prosecutors to generally avoid filing enhancements — parts of the penal code designed to lengthen prison sentences — with rare exceptions. Without enhancements, Sevilla and Samuels are looking at a maximum of 11 years on the voluntary manslaughter convictions, but Judge Paul Delucchi could decide to impose them at sentencing whether prosecutors ask for it or not.
Samuels and Sevilla found themselves in a life-or-death conflict that escalated quickly and was captured by nearby home surveillance cameras. It started when Sandoval and Sevilla drove up in the same car and parked near San Antonio Park, but after a few minutes left Sevilla’s truck and fled to Samuel’s vehicle that had stopped in a nearby alley.
Prosecutors said during trial that Sandoval had met Samuels months earlier and that family members were concerned he was trafficking her. Sevilla’s attorney argued that Sandoval and Samuels had plotted to rob Sevilla and that he fired in self-defense, while Samuels painted Sevilla as the aggressor who initiated the confrontation.
Regardless of which argument is correct, video shows Sevilla driving down the alleyway, apparently pursuing Sandoval, and stopping near Samuels car. A few moments later, there is an exchange of gunfire, followed by both vehicles peeling out in different directions. Sandoval was hit by gunfire fired by Sevilla and died at a nearby hospital.
After the shooting, Sevilla took steps to cover up what happened by taking his work truck to a body shop to fix the bullet holes and ditching the gun, which was never located, according to prosecutors.
Source: www.mercurynews.com