‘Executioner’ of 3 Given Death Sentence

A judge formally sentenced a murderer to death Thursday for the execution-style killings of three men in a Southeast San Diego auto body shop.

Superior Court Judge Napoleon Jones Jr. followed the Dec. 12 jury recommendation that Ronaldo Ayala, 37, of San Diego be executed in the gas chamber in San Quentin State Prison.

Ayala was convicted by the same jury Oct. 12 of three counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder and robbery of a lone survivor, and attempted robbery of the three slain men.

Found shot to death April 26, 1985, were Ernesto (Cha Cho) Mendez Dominguez, 30; his brother-in-law, Marco Zamora-Villa, 31, and Jose (Cucuy) Luis Rositas, 24. All had their hands tied behind their backs and were gagged.

New Trial Denied

Jones turned down a motion for a new trial and a motion to reduce the penalty to life in prison without the possibility of parole made by Ayala’s attorneys, Elisabeth Semel and Robert Boyce.

“There are no civilized nations which permit the death penalty,” said Semel, who cited Iran as a nation where capital punishment is carried out often.

But Deputy Dist. Atty. Bill Woodward responded: “This defendant is richly deserving of the ultimate penalty of death.”

The judge cited the planning of the killings and said each victim was shot twice in the head.

The victim who survived a shooting, Pedro (Pete) Castillo, 42, testified against Ayala.

Castillo first denied in his testimony that two of the victims dealt heroin out of the garage, but he later admitted that was true.

Semel seized on the original perjury and urged the jury to disregard Castillo’s testimony.

Jones also sentenced Ayala to a 22-year state prison term for the attempted murder, robbery and attempted robberies, and a previous conviction. He also fined Ayala $1,000.

Ayala’s appeal to the state Supreme Court is automatic. The last execution in California happened in 1967 for the killer of a policeman.

Brother’s Trial Pending

The trial of Ayala’s brother, Hector Ayala, 36, is in the jury-selection phase, and prosecutors are also seeking the death penalty for him. A third man, Joseph Moreno, 49, is also charged, and his trial will come after Hector Ayala’s trial.

Ronaldo Ayala did make a statement in court, but only thanked the deputy marshals for letting him visit with his young daughter and other family members while he was in custody.

“I have no animosity toward anyone,” Ayala said.

The special circumstances found true by the jury were that there were multiple victims killed and that the murders occurred during a robbery or robbery attempt.

Testimony during the trial indicated the Ayala brothers demanded $10,000 from the victims in connection with an alleged drug deal.