7 Indicted in Man’s Beating Death on Ventura Street

In a case of alleged street terrorism, the Ventura County Grand Jury has indicted seven suspects on charges of murder and conspiracy in the September beating death of a Ventura man they apparently suspected of calling the police on them.

William Zara, 18, was attacked by a crowd of alleged gang members wielding bats and shovels Sept. 25, after being mistaken for the person who reported a loud party to police, according to prosecutors.

Six men, one woman and a 14-year-old--all Ventura residents--were charged Nov. 4 with murder in connection with the slaying, and a public preliminary hearing for the adult suspects was set to begin Monday.

But fearing retaliation against witnesses, prosecutors skirted that process by taking the case to the grand jury instead.

On Monday, Deputy Dist. Attys. Maeve Fox and Bill Haney presented Ventura County Superior Court Judge Edward Brodie with indictments against the seven adults.

Facing charges of murder and conspiracy to commit assault are Frank Olvera, 33, and his wife Rosana Olvera, 36; Terry Paul Schell, 22; Chris Gonzales, 22; Mario Jaquez, 19; Thomas Barrios, 21, and Benny Lopez, 18.

Schell, Gonzales, Jaquez, Barrios and Lopez each face an additional charge of street terrorism, and all seven defendants face allegations that the slaying was done to benefit a gang.

Frank Olvera and Lopez also face charges for allegedly wielding bats, shovels or other weapons during the attack. Authorities believe the two men inflicted the fatal blows.

During Monday’s hearing, Fox handed copies of the indictments to six of the defendants, who stood behind a metal partition in Brodie’s courtroom dressed in blue jail uniforms.

One by one, each defendant pleaded not guilty through their court-appointed lawyers and agreed to a March 27 trial date. All six remain in custody on $500,000 bail.

The seventh defendant, Lopez, remains at large with a $500,000 warrant out for his arrest.

“To me, this case represents the way these gang members work,” Fox said after the hearing. “If not for the fact they worked in concert, Mr. Zara would not be dead.”

After the arraignment, Fox announced that criminal charges had been dropped against a ninth suspect, 23-year-old Dagoberto Davila. The Ventura man had been charged with murder, conspiracy and street terrorism.

But Fox said prosecutors became aware of facts during the grand jury proceedings that convinced them Davila was not guilty.

“Mr. Davila, to his credit, was very upfront,” Fox said, explaining that Davila offered information to authorities that proved to be correct.

Prosecutors went before the grand jury last month to avoid a lengthy preliminary hearing that would have exposed their witnesses, Fox said.

Several witnesses, ages 16 to 25, saw the beating on a west Ventura street and were injured while trying to help Zara, Fox said, adding that some of those people have since been threatened.

“We didn’t want to subject the victims and witnesses to public exposure,” Fox said. “I believe there are other [suspects] out there. Our investigation is still continuing.”

Fox said prosecutors spent three weeks in mid-November and early December presenting their case to the grand jury. The indictments were handed down Thursday, she said, and unsealed Monday.

Next year’s trial is expected to last several months, and could present logistical problems, such as finding a courtroom large enough to hold the defendants and their lawyers.

Meanwhile, the trial of the 14-year-old accused of participating in the beating is set to begin Jan. 18, in Juvenile Court. Fox said that trial could last several weeks.