Trailer Park Slaying Case Sent to the Jury

A Ventura County jury began deliberations Friday in the trial of a Meiners Oaks man accused of fatally shooting an acquaintance and kidnapping a taxi driver before careening off a highway north of Santa Barbara.

Daniel Joseph Bonilla, 27, faces a life prison term if convicted of murder, kidnapping and robbery. Bonilla is also charged with trying to prevent witnesses from testifying against him.

Bonilla’s trial began Monday and wrapped up with closing statements Friday morning. The jury began its deliberations in the afternoon.

Prosecutors say Bonilla shot 36-year-old Ojai resident Thomas Mahl in the head at a Casitas Springs trailer park on Dec. 5 after a dispute. Later, Bonilla allegedly walked to a nearby house, where an elderly couple--who were unaware of the shooting--called a taxi for him.

Authorities say Bonilla then kidnapped the cab driver and forced him to drive north on the Ventura Freeway to Santa Barbara. He later released the driver unharmed in Goleta and continued on his own, authorities said.

Bonilla was arrested a short time later after he lost control of the taxi, careened 90 feet off the highway and crashed.

He crawled from the wreckage and hiked to a road where he was met by authorities.

Inside the taxi, authorities said they recovered a .22-caliber revolver with three spent rounds.

Defense attorney Steve Lipson told the jury that his client did not fire the bullet that killed Mahl, though he acknowledged that Bonilla was responsible for the other alleged crimes.

Authorities also allege that from jail, Bonilla called a woman who he knew was a witness to the shooting and warned, “You’re a dead” woman.