OXNARD : Man Pleads Not Guilty in Shooting of Wife

A 47-year-old Oxnard man accused of shooting his wife two times with a rifle pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Ventura County Superior Court to a charge of attempted first-degree murder.

Juan Barrios Amaro, who could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted, also is charged with the special allegation that he used a firearm in the commission of his crime and that he inflicted great bodily injury on his victim, Deputy Dist. Atty. Patrice D. Koenig said.

Amaro is accused of shooting his wife, Beatriz Amaro, in the shoulder and neck early on March 8. The couple had been involved in an argument on the afternoon of March 7 at a neighborhood church when Oxnard police were summoned to investigate, police said.

Beatriz Amaro survived the attack but suffered permanent damage to her shoulder, the prosecutor said.

According to Koenig, the victim “had an inkling” that something was going to happen that night, so she hid the household guns. Two family members testified at a preliminary hearing last month that Amaro came home after an evening of drinking, found the weapons and shot his wife two times.

Deputy Public Defender John H. Voigtsberger also denied the special allegations on behalf of his client at Tuesday’s arraignment.

Superior Court Judge Lawrence Storch scheduled a jury trial for June 14.

Amaro remains in Ventura County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail.