Carjack Target Describes Fatal Stabbing

The targets of an apparent carjacking attempt testified Thursday about their ordeal outside a Mission Valley restaurant that ended with one of victims fatally stabbing an assailant.

The testimony came on the first day of a preliminary hearing for Daniel K. Hilburn, 28, and Robert Lee Bible, 23, two men accused in the attack. They are charged with conspiracy to commit robbery, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in state prison.

Rayne Alan Gough, 33, of San Diego testified that he met his girlfriend at the El Torito restaurant on the night of Oct. 9. After socializing for about 90 minutes, the couple went to the restaurant’s parking lot, where they talked in the woman’s car for a few minutes.

About five seconds after he asked the woman, Maria Elena Esparza, if her door was locked, there was a loud “metal-to-glass-type” of noise at the driver’s window, Gough said.

A man outside the car said: “Out of the car, or I’ll blow your head off,” he testified.

After seeing another man on the passenger side of the car, Esparza started to open her door, but Gough told her to drive away, according to the testimony.

Esparza put her Chevrolet Baretta into reverse, but almost immediately ran into another car that the victims later discovered belonged to their assailants.

Gough testified that Esparza leaned down into his lap, “and then the driver’s side window just exploded into the car.”

“At that point, I felt we were in serious danger,” he said.

The assailant leaned into the car and immediately began to beat Esparza. “My impression is she was being stabbed,” Gough said.

At this point, Gough said, he grabbed a custom-made knife from its sheaf on his backpack “and I lunged at him.” He testified that he struck the man once in the lower part of his neck.

“He immediately exited the car,” he said.

About half an hour later, David Ray Gooch, 25, arrived at Mercy Hospital, where he later died.

Hilburn was taken into custody by police at the hospital, according to Deputy Dist. Atty. Elizabeth Porterfield.

Neither Gough nor Esparza identified the defendants during their testimony. It is not known how Bible was taken into custody, but that should be revealed at today’s hearing, when investigating officers are expected to testify.