Edhat StaffSource: District Attorney of Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce E. Dudley announced today that on September 13, 2018, Fernando Navarro, 19, pled guilty to a felony charge of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the February 3, 2018, death of his brother Leonardo, 13, in Santa Maria, California. Leonardo was killed when Fernando Navarro unintentionally discharged a firearm that he was handling. He also pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of unlawful firearm activity connected to his possession of a firearm while prohibited from doing so as an express condition of his probation terms.
Navarro will return for sentencing on Oct. 4, 2018, in front of Superior Court Judge John McGregor, in Department 6 of the Santa Maria Superior Court. Pursuant to the plea agreement, it is anticipated that he will be sentenced to a total term of 4 years, 8 months, consisting of 3 years actual local custody followed by 1 year, 8 months of community supervision.
Without knowing the details, perhaps I am wrong, but for accidentally discharging a firearm and killing his little brother, he’s being sentenced to jail time? One of the best features of the Hispanic culture is how closely knit most families are and how they treat their old, disabled and mentally-challenged. This accident will haunt him for life. Jail? At nineteen, the part of his brain that evaluates risk and prevents impulsive behavior isn’t fully developed in males. Perhaps he runs in a gang; perhaps he is a sociopath; perhaps he is a thoroughly nasty character, but also perhaps that sentence should have been something more along the lines of grief counseling, night custody and daily supervised work in an old age home or animal shelter or something of that sort so he could make amends emotionally. No matter what, he will be haunted all his life and probably suffer PTSD from this accident. What a tragedy.
He was not supposed to be handling guns as part of his probation. But it does seem odd to be sentenced to 3 years in jail for an “accident” although people do jail time for DUI accidents especially so when others are injured or killed. I am guessing it was an accident that was avoidable.