Good Samaritan Killer Convicted of Murder
A jury took less than a day to convict a 24-year-old man Tuesday of gunning down a good Samaritan attempting to foil a purse snatching.
Richard Chavarria of Santa Ana showed no visible reaction as the verdict was read, but a female relative became emotional and bolted from the courtroom.
Chavarria was accused of shooting Margarito Pina Estrella, 26, of Santa Ana, after the victim foiled Chavarria as he tried to steal a 61-year-old woman’s purse on July 7, 1996.
While the jury of seven women and five men found the defendant guilty of first-degree murder and of grand theft, they rejected a special-circumstance allegation of murder during the commission of a robbery and a felony second-degree robbery charge.
Chavarria is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 12 by Superior Court Judge Stuart D. Waldrip.
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