Former Spouse Guilty in Slaying

A jury found a 43-year-old Thousand Oaks man guilty of second-degree murder Friday for stabbing the boyfriend of his ex-wife outside her Simi Valley home.

Defendant Roland “Ram” Gonzales told jurors that the stabbing of 34-year-old David Smith, during an argument two years ago after he had returned his two elementary-school-age sons to his former wife’s home, was accidental.

The defense suggested Gonzales was a nonviolent “cream puff” who should be convicted of nothing more severe than manslaughter.

Prosecutors, however, argued it was a first-degree murder case because Gonzales deliberately went after the victim and stabbed him through the heart.

After several days of deliberation, jurors returned a second-degree murder finding. Gonzales now faces a minimum 15 years in state prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 14.

Outside the courtroom Friday, Thousand Oaks resident Daryl Smith, the victim’s father, said he was relieved to see Gonzales convicted of murder after a bitterly contested trial during which the defense portrayed his son as the aggressor.

“I’ll take second-degree because I realize how difficult it is to get 12 people to agree on anything,” said Smith, who described the trial as a “horrific experience.”

“It’s like reopening the wound and putting something caustic in it,” he said.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Susan Aramesh Ruggles praised the jury, even though she said she believed the evidence supported a finding of first-degree murder.

But defense attorney Richard Hanawalt shook his head in disappointment and said he plans to file a motion for a new trial.

According to court testimony, the victim, defendant and ex-wife had a history of ill will and tension among them.

Gonzales testified he had grabbed a knife in self-defense before walking to the front door after learning about a domestic disturbance between his former spouse and Smith. He told jurors Smith had tried to punch him and accidentally fell on the blade.

In closing arguments, Hanawalt argued the stab wound was consistent with an accident and not an intentional killing.

“This ain’t a whodunit,” he said. “It’s a what happened.”

But Ruggles argued Gonzales deliberately went after Smith and had announced moments before the stabbing that he intended to “stick him.”

After the stabbing, Gonzales grabbed his sons and drove away. Deputies later arrested him at a Westlake Village hotel. Authorities found the knife in a trash can.