Calif. Man Found Guilty of Murdering, Robbing ’Boyfriend’
A 23-year-old man from Orange County, Calif., was found guilty on Wednesday of murdering the 47-year-old man who is being called his boyfriend despite the two knowing each other only a month.
The Orange County Register reports that Jose Fuentes faces a minimum sentence of life in state prison without parole for killing Pedro Cerecer by beating him with a ceramic rock.
In June 2010, Fuentes reportedly had drinks and sex with Cerecer in his guesthouse. When Cerecer fell asleep, Fuentes took a ceramic rock, straddled Cerecer and smashed it over his head. After the murder, he stole the victim's credit cards, cell phone, a flat screen TV and other gadgets, and drove off.
The next day, Fuentes was pulled over by local police and arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and driving without a valid license. Authorities were eventually called to investigate Cerecer's guesthouse and discovered the 47-year-old man's body. They also realized the victim's car was missing. When police ran the plates, it led to an impound lot and they connected the car with Fuentes, who was in Orange County Jail.
Cops said Fuentes confessed to killing Cerecer alone. He said he did so he could rob Cerecer, who worked for a maintenance company and as a soccer referee. It took the jury just an hour to deliberate and find Fuentes guilty of first-degree murder.