PORT HUENEME : Mastermind of Fatal Theft Plot Sentenced

The mastermind of a robbery plot that led to the shooting death of Port Hueneme landlord was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison Friday by a judge who called the defendant a sophisticated criminal.

George Pena, 23, of Oxnard was found guilty of first-degree murder on Nov. 9, but he was exonerated of a special allegation that could have put him in prison for life without possibility of parole.

He and three other suspects were charged in the case of Richard Schell, a 52-year-old Santa Barbara man who was fatally shot Dec. 1, 1992, after collecting rent from tenants in a Port Hueneme apartment building.

Schell died of a single gunshot wound that tore into his shoulder and passed through his heart. The robbers fled after the shooting, leaving behind $2,000 in cash in Schell’s truck.

Deputy Public Defender Bryant A. Villagran said his client was remorseful and understood the gravity of his actions. He said the case deserved less than a 25-years-to-life sentence, calling it “overkill for Mr. Pena.”

“It is not a just and appropriate sentence,” he said.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Donald C. Glynn disagreed. “Had it not been for Mr. Pena in organizing this robbery, the robbery would not have happened,” Glynn said.

In handing down the sentence, Superior Court Judge Charles R. McGrath said Pena planned the robbery for a month before recruiting his three co-defendants to join the plot.

One of Pena’s co-defendants, 16-year-old Gilbert Martinez, was convicted of attempted robbery and sentenced to seven years in juvenile detention.

The other two were convicted of first-degree murder. Jose Luis Arreguin, 20, received life in prison without parole. David Soto, also 20, is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 20.