VENTURA : 5 Indicted in Fatal Shooting at Motel

The Ventura County grand jury has indicted four men and a woman for a fatal shooting in December at a Ventura motel, a prosecutor said Thursday.

The indictments mean that the defendants, who prosecutors say are gang members, will face a Superior Court trial in connection with the Dec. 18 shooting death of 21-year-old Paul Martinez of Los Angeles.

Martinez was gunned down as he stood on the second-floor balcony at Motel 6 on Johnson Drive.

Murder indictments were handed down against Steven Hidalgo, 20; Shaun Bolo, 20, and his brother, Willard, 23. Hidalgo, of Port Hueneme, and the Bolos, both of Oxnard, are each being held at the Ventura County Jail in lieu of $1-million bail.

Indictments of accessory to murder were returned against 19-year-old Naomi Honohan of Port Hueneme and Alfonso Cortez, 21, of Oxnard. Honohan is being held in custody in lieu of $250,000 bail, while Cortez is free on $5,000 bail.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Matthew J. Hardy said prosecutors requested Honohan’s bail to be higher than Cortez’ because she played a larger role in trying to cover up the crime.

“Their conduct is different,” he said. A bail review hearing and a pretrial conference for Honohan have been set April 7.

The four men are scheduled to be arraigned May 10 in Superior Court.

Authorities say the victim and the defendants were attending separate parties at the motel when the two sides exchanged words that led to the shooting. Martinez apparently did not know his attackers, police said.