California judge releases alleged gang member murder suspect without bail
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A judge in California is facing criticism after he released a murder suspect and alleged gang member without posting a dime of bail.
Vicente Aguilera-Chavez and Agustin Sandoval were arrested in January in connection with the June 8, 2017 shooting that left a 21-year-old dead and a 24-year-old injured. KTVU.
Aguilera was charged with murder following an alleged gang-related shooting in a nightclub parking lot in Sunnyvale, California. Mercury News. Both men were charged in the death of 21-year-old Edu Veliz-Salgado. A 24-year-old man was also injured in the alleged shooting but survived. The case went cold until 2024, when Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety detectives identified the suspects in 2024.
Judge Hector Ramon released Aguilera on her own recognizance at an Oct. 31 hearing, meaning she does not have to post bail. NBC Bay Area. Aguilera completes her prison sentence for theft in 2022.
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A California judge released Vicente Aguilera on his own recognizance. (Sunnyvale DPS)
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen told NBC Bay Area that he was “very concerned about the safety of our community” and was “shocked” that Aguilera was a certified gang member.
“This is the case of a person charged with armed first-degree murder for the benefit of a criminal street gang, who had strike crimes before that murder, who committed strike crimes after the murder, and who was sent to prison on other charges before the murder.”
The district attorney’s office filed a motion asking Ramon to reconsider his decision to release Aguilera, stating that the suspect was “gambling” that he did not pose a risk to society.
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Edu Veliz-Salgado, 21, was shot and killed in 2017, authorities said. (Facebook/Berenice Salgado)
“The court is gambling that he does not pose a risk to public safety because he has not been arrested in the last few years,” the motion said. “The court should give equal importance to his criminal history and the fact that he brazenly killed the stranger in front of a crowd because he was drunk and talking nonsense.”
Assistant Public Defender Jennifer Redding, Aguilera’s defense attorney, filed the motion in October asking for her release from pretrial custody, arguing that her client was not involved in the shooting and has strong ties to the community.
“There is no evidence that Mr. Aguilera would pose any risk of bodily harm to others, especially with the conditions of (supervised release),” Redding wrote. “Mr. Aguilera is determined to clear his name. … There is no compelling interest in detaining Mr. Aguilera on public safety grounds or out of concern that he is a flight risk.”
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Aerial shot of residential streets in Sunnyvale, California, on a sunny spring day. Sunnyvale is located between San Jose and Cupertino in Santa Clara County and is part of Silicon Valley. (Getty Images)
Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety Lt. Devon Klein also voiced his disagreement, telling local NBC station that the judge has a history of putting repeat offenders back on the streets.
“Not only are they repeat offenders, Judge Ramon is also a repeat offender,” Klein said. “It has a habit of releasing repeat offenders back into our communities.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Redding for comment.
The court declined to comment on Ramon’s behalf.
