Oxnard Gang Member Guilty in Fatal ’93 Shooting : Trial: Willard Bolo, 24, the fourth defendant, is convicted of second-degree murder for his role in the slaying of a man at a motel. Prosecution expresses disappointment in the verdict.

A Superior Court jury on Wednesday convicted an Oxnard gang member of second-degree murder for his part in fatally shooting a man celebrating a friend’s discharge from the U.S. Army.

Willard Bolo, 24, became the fourth and final defendant convicted in the slaying of Paul Martinez, a 21-year-old Whittier shoe salesman gunned down at the Motel 6 on Johnson Road in 1993.

Rejecting a prosecution argument, the jury found Bolo not guilty of first-degree murder and of using a firearm during the slaying.

Bolo and two other men--including his younger brother--have been convicted of murder in the case, and a woman was convicted of aiding them after the fact. All four were members of either Oxnard or Port Hueneme gangs, authorities said.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Matthew J. Hardy expressed disappointment in the jury verdict.

“Our theory is that Willard was the ringleader,” Hardy said outside court.

Bolo’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Todd Howeth, could not be reached for comment after the verdict.

The victim and the defendants were attending separate parties at the motel on Dec. 18, 1993, when Martinez and 21-year-old Shaun Bolo, Willard’s brother, became embroiled in an argument.

The Bolos and others in their party left, piling into several cars, said Hardy. That is when Martinez, who was standing on the balcony, was shot, the prosecutor said.

Hardy’s theory was that Willard Bolo got his group to leave the motel so the defendants could shoot Martinez as they drove away.

Hardy, in closing arguments, said that while Shaun Bolo was shooting out of the driver’s window of a Honda Prelude, Willard Bolo stood up through the car’s sunroof and fired another gun.

Although it is impossible to determine how many shots were fired, Hardy said a look at the physical evidence and the statement Willard Bolo made to investigators show there was a second shooter in the car with Shaun Bolo.

Hardy said Willard Bolo aimed right at Martinez.

“It’s a pretty ugly thing that happened here, and it was insanely stupid,” Hardy said.

In his closing remarks to the jury, Howeth argued that Willard Bolo was guilty only of being an accessory to murder after the fact, acknowledging that Bolo helped others wipe off the guns used in the slaying and bury them in a back yard.

Superior Court Judge Charles R. McGrath scheduled a June 2 sentencing for Willard Bolo, who faces a mandatory sentence of 15 years to life in prison.

Shaun Bolo pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison in December.

Steven Higaldo, 20, of Port Hueneme, was sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and shooting a gun.

And Naomi Honohan, a 20-year-old former Channel Islands High School cheerleader, was sentenced to two years in prison after being convicted of being an accessory to murder.