SANTA ROSA (BCN)—Two men charged with fatally shooting another man outside a New Year’s Eve party in Santa Rosa in 2013 pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter charges in Sonoma County Superior Court, prosecutors said today.
Defendant Joseph Varela, 18, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter with enhancements for personal use of a firearm and committing the offences to benefit a criminal street gang, according to prosecutors.
Defendant Manuel Khiobouakhan, 21, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter with an enhancement for personal use of a firearm, prosecutors said.
The charges stem from the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Santa Rosa resident Damien Toney Jr. on Dec. 31, 2013 during a party at the Redwood Apartments at 2001 Piner Road.
Both defendants and the victim were at a party when the three became involved in an argument over a domestic violence incident, prosecutors said.
Then 15-year-old Varela and then 19-year-old Khiobouakhan were both armed with guns. When the argument escalated, the two both shot at Toney, killing him, according to prosecutors.
The case went to jury trial in 2015 and resulted in a mistrial when the jury was unable to reach a verdict. The jury was split with two jurors in favor of murder, eight jurors in favor of voluntary manslaughter and two jurors in favor of acquittal, prosecutors said.
Khiobouakhan faces up to seven years in prison, while Varela faces up to 10 years in prison. The pair will be sentenced on Sept. 16 by Sonoma County Judge Diana Simonds, according to prosecutors.