By Redacción
Redaccion@latinocc.com
Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that Leann Guzman, 26, and Richard Mendez, 26, both of Oxnard, have been convicted of carjacking and robbery following a violent incident earlier this year.
Jurors also found several special allegations and aggravating factors to be true, including a prior strike.
In a rarely used courtroom procedure, the co-defendants were tried with two separate juries in the same courtroom. This allowed witnesses to testify just once before both juries while protecting each defendant’s rights, as certain evidence was only presented to the appropriate jury. Both juries returned guilty verdicts on all charges.
On the morning of March 20, 2025, the defendants were given a ride and instructed the driver to stop near a street in Oxnard. Guzman then forcibly took the car keys from the ignition. Mendez pointed an object that appeared to be a firearm at the driver, demanded all his belongings, and ordered him out of the car. Guzman told the driver that Mendez would shoot if he didn’t comply.
Fearing for his life, the victim exited the vehicle. When he said he would call police, the defendants laughed and showed him they had taken his phone. Guzman then got into the driver’s seat and drove away with Mendez in the back seat.
Oxnard police detectives used GPS data from an ankle monitor worn by Mendez, along with DNA and cellphone evidence, to identify and arrest both defendants. Mendez was on active parole at the time of the crime.
Deputy District Attorney Brandon Yeaton, from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Court Operations Unit, prosecuted the case. “These convictions demonstrate the effectiveness of strong investigative work, innovative courtroom procedures, and the use of technology to hold violent offenders accountable,” Yeaton said. “No one should fear being threatened or robbed while offering a ride.”
Guzman is scheduled to be sentenced on August 22, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 26 of the Ventura County Superior Court. Mendez’s sentencing is set for August 25, also at 9:00 a.m. in courtroom 26. Guzman faces up to nine years in state prison. Mendez faces up to 23 years.
