Teen Pleads Innocent in Shooting Death

A Camarillo teenager pleaded not guilty to murder Friday in connection with a December crime spree that ended with the gunshot slaying of a Moorpark man.

Prosecutors have accused Arturo Contreras Jr., 18, of driving the car that carried three of his gang cohorts bent on violence in the early morning hours of Dec. 3.

Investigators said the violence started with an attempt to steal food from a Camarillo Taco Bell and ended with the random slaying of 25-year-old Jesus Zamudio Manjarrez as he sat in his car at a red light.

In between, investigators allege, the four suspects fired into the home of a rival gang member and robbed a man outside a Somis market. Contreras had earlier pleaded not guilty to the drive-by shooting and robbery.

A conviction would be Contreras’ “second strike,” and he would face a minimum sentence of 30 years in prison. A preliminary hearing on all three charges is set for Feb. 16.

Investigators think that Miguel Castro, 20, fired the fatal shots after mistaking Manjarrez for a rival gang member. Manjarrez had just finished work at a nearby movie theater and was heading home after stopping at a Taco Bell for food when he was slain.

Jose Duarte, 17, is charged with robbery as is another 17-year-old suspect.

Prosecutors hope to try the unidentified teen as an adult, Holmes said. A hearing is scheduled Jan. 16 in Juvenile Court.