OXNARD : Defendant Convicted in Shooting of Wife

An Oxnard man on trial for the attempted murder of his wife was found guilty Monday by a Superior Court judge who said he was convinced the shooting was not an accident.

Juan Barrios Amaro, 47, could receive life in prison when he is sentenced Oct. 8 on attempted first-degree murder for trying to kill his wife of 29 years.

“The defendant knew what was happening and was lying about his inability to remember,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Patrice D. Koenig told Judge Lawrence Storch in her closing argument on Monday.

“He held that gun steady, looked right at her and pulled the trigger,” she said.

Deputy Public Defender John H. Voigtsberger did not dispute that his client came home after an evening of drinking on March 8 and fired a 30.06 hunting rifle at his wife from less than two feet away.

“The evidence is very susceptible to a verdict of attempted second-degree murder,” Voigtsberger told Storch at the conclusion of the court trial. “It’s apparent that he wasn’t trying to kill his wife. It was an act of impulse.”

Voigtsberger said all along he had advised his client to plead guilty to a lesser charge of attempted second-degree murder. But Koenig said the evidence proved that Amaro thought about killing his wife before shooting her, warranting the attempted first-degree murder charge.

Beatriz Amaro’s right arm is paralyzed from the wound she received on March 8. She testified last week although her jaw is still wired shut, and she was forced to raise her left hand instead of her right when being sworn in.

Storch, who presided over the week-long trial that was held without a jury, announced his decision immediately after closing arguments.