Jonathan Cervantes Murder Case: Charges, Co-Defendants, and Status

The Jonathan Cervantes murder case is a Monterey County, California prosecution in which Cervantes, an 18-year-old from Greenfield at the time of the alleged crimes, faces 22 felony counts, including six counts of murder, tied to a gang-directed robbery, a double homicide, and a mass shooting at a King City birthday party across roughly one month in early 2024. A judge has found probable cause on all counts and ordered him to stand trial alongside co-defendants Pedro Nava and Angel Evans, with arraignment on the information set for December 4, 2025, in Monterey County Superior Court.¹

What Cervantes Is Charged With

Cervantes has pleaded not guilty. The 22 counts against him include:²

Six counts of murder, for the deaths of Jack Canchola, Andres Garcia, Alicia Ramirez Aparicio, Mario Guzman Mendoza, Francisco Aldape Perez, and Olivo Perez Pina
Two counts of conspiracy to commit murder
Seven counts of attempted murder, tied to survivors of the King City shooting
Shooting at an occupied motor vehicle and shooting at an inhabited dwelling
Two counts of street terrorism
Second-degree robbery and assault with a semi-automatic firearm, tied to the Big 5 Sporting Goods robbery

Prosecutors have said the charges and their special allegations could potentially qualify for the death penalty, though no formal capital-punishment decision has been announced. The district attorney sought to hold Cervantes without bail.³

The Crimes Behind the Charges

Three incidents are at the core of the case, all occurring in Monterey County within roughly a month.

On February 3, 2024, Cervantes and Evans are accused of robbing a Big 5 Sporting Goods store in Salinas and taking approximately $2,000 worth of ammunition.⁴

The next evening, February 4, 2024, prosecutors allege that Nava directed Evans, Cervantes, and a fourth man, Manuel Galindo Rodriguez, to “hunt for rival gang members” in South Monterey County. Near a bridge outside Greenfield around 6:45 p.m., the group encountered cousins Andres Garcia, 26, and Jack Canchola, 20, both of Soledad, parked in Garcia’s truck. Deputies said neither man had gang ties and the assailants had mistakenly identified them as rivals.⁵ Garcia drove off and Canchola called 911, but the suspects pursued them in a stolen vehicle until the truck crashed in a vineyard off Los Coches Road. The two men were then shot; between them they sustained more than 40 gunshot wounds.⁶

On March 3, 2024, around 6:00 p.m., three masked gunmen opened fire on a family birthday party in the 200 block of North Second Street in King City. Prosecutors say the group had scouted the location for nearly an hour and arrived in a silver 2017 Kia Rio reported stolen from Pacific Grove in late February. Four people were killed: Alicia Ramirez Aparicio, 32, who was celebrating her birthday; Mario Guzman Mendoza, 42; Francisco Aldape Perez, 32; and Olivo Perez Pina, 32. Seven others were shot and survived.⁷ According to the district attorney’s office, Nava had directed the shooters and afterward exchanged text messages with Evans “celebrating the death toll.”⁸

Co-Defendants and Alleged Gang Connection

Prosecutors allege all four defendants acted for the benefit of the Norteno Criminal Street Gang, specifically its “Tiny Locos” faction. Pedro Nava, described as the orchestrator, is accused of directing the younger defendants to carry out both the double homicide and the King City shooting.⁸

Angel Evans was 17 at the time of the killings and initially charged as a juvenile. After a hearing, a judge ordered his case transferred to adult court, and he pleaded not guilty. He faces additional counts beyond those shared with Cervantes, including vehicle theft, identity theft, and unlawful firearm activity.⁹¹

Manuel Galindo Rodriguez, 21, of Greenfield, was the last of the four to be formally charged in the murder case. He had been in custody since April 2024 and was sentenced in November 2024 to four years and eight months for separate offenses committed in jail. In May 2026, a Monterey County criminal grand jury indicted him on 25 felony counts covering the King City shooting, the Greenfield double homicide, and the Big 5 robbery. Prosecutors have said they intend to join his case with those of Nava, Evans, and Cervantes.⁵

Where the Case Stands

A weeklong preliminary hearing for Nava, Cervantes, and Evans took place during the week of October 27, 2025, before Judge Rafael Vazquez of the Monterey County Superior Court. At the end of the hearing, Judge Vazquez issued a holding order finding probable cause to believe all three defendants committed the charged crimes, including special circumstances on the homicide counts and findings that firearms were discharged during the February 4 and March 3, 2024, incidents. The judge also found probable cause that the crimes were committed to benefit the Tiny Locos faction of the Norteno gang.¹⁰²

All three were scheduled to be arraigned on an information on December 4, 2025, at 8:30 a.m. in Department 5 of the Monterey Superior Court. Rodriguez’s arraignment on the grand jury indictment was set separately for May 26, 2026. The district attorney’s office has said the investigation, which spanned more than two years, remains ongoing.¹⁵

1
King City Rustler. Gang Members Ordered to Stand Trial for South Monterey County Homicides
2
County of Monterey. Preliminary Hearing Holding Order Announcement
3
KSBW. Court Documents Reveal South County Murder Spree
4
CBS News Bay Area. Monterey County Alleged Gang Member Charged in King City Mass Shooting, 6 Murders
5
KSBW. DA Charges Gunman in King City Mass Shooting
6
Salinas Valley Tribune. Fourth Suspect Indicted in South Monterey County Killings
7
Salinas Valley Tribune. Salinas Valley Reels From Deadly Shooting at King City Party
8
County of Monterey. District Attorney Announces Grand Jury Indictment
9
KION Central Coast. Juvenile Suspect in South Monterey County Murders Transferring to Adult Court
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Monterey Herald. King City Party Shooting Case Moves Forward