San Bernardino man sentenced in deadly beating of his girlfriend's father
A San Bernardino man was sentenced Friday to 15 years in state prison, under the terms of a plea bargain, in the deadly beating of his girlfriend's father following an argument in April 2004.
James Paul Pineda, 35, was sentenced during proceedings before Judge Bryan Foster in San Bernardino Superior Court.
Neighbors near the apartment that Pineda shared with his girlfriend reported rising tension between Pineda and the victim, 53-year-old John Velasquez, of Colton. The pair had an argument about 1:43 a.m. in April 2004, say San Bernardino Police.
Residents reported to The Sun, at the time of the incident, hearing a loud crash and then finding Velasquez outside on the ground, near the street. The victim was pronounced dead at 8:51 a.m. at a local hospital.
Neighbors described Velasquez as a generally calm individual who wore his long hair in a braid and wore native American jewelry.
Pineda was taken into custody at his apartment.
Pineda plead guilty, under an agreement with prosecutors in July, to one count of voluntary manslaughter, one count of robbery, and he admitted having a prior offense, according to Superior Court records.
The defendant was credited to 2,096 days, or more than five and a half years, of time already served, which included good conduct credits, records indicate.
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