Man sentenced for fatal shooting of sports bar security guard in South Whittier

NORWALK — A judge sentenced a man who previously had a murder conviction overturned to 31 years in prison Wednesday for fatally shooting a security guard outside an unincorporated South Whittier sports bar.
Jose Javier Nunez, 28, of South Gate received his sentence from Norwalk Superior Court Judge Dewey Falcone, court officials said. He pleaded guilty May 4 to voluntary manslaughter for the Feb. 9, 2007 shooting death of 28-year-old Reyes Armando Garcia of Whittier, as he was working as a security guard outside of Ocean Sports Bar on Telegraph Road.
Nunez shot Garcia while Garcia was involved in a sight with one of Nunez’s friends, officials said.
Nunez was convicted of murder in the case and sentenced to 50 years to life in state prison in 2008. But in 2010, a three-judge panel from the 2nd District Court of Appeal overturned the conviction, finding problems with Nunez’s trial.
Before a second murder trial began, Nunez accepted a plea agreement and admitted voluntary manslaughter in the killing.
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