Salgado’s Words Placed Him at Zara’s Slaying, Jurors Told

The case against Ramiro Salgado, the fifth and final defendant in the 1999 bludgeoning death of a Ventura teen, went to the jury Tuesday after the prosecution made a final plea for his conviction of second-degree murder.

Salgado, 22, is accused of punching, kicking and, according to one witness, beating 18-year-old William Zara with a shovel after hearing that Zara had called police about a noisy party.

In her rebuttal arguments, Deputy Dist. Atty. Maeve Fox denied assertions by Salgado’s attorney that a witness who put Salgado at the scene was lying and that the suspect’s confession was improper.

Fox called Salgado’s statement to police a “beautiful thing.” While talking to police, Salgado said he had dreamed about Zara, she said.

“Why is he talking about Zara?” Fox asked.

Then, pointing to her heart, she said, “Because it’s in here; he’s thinking about it.”

In the interview, Salgado told police that he, with 10 other gang members, stomped and kicked Zara the night of Sept. 25, 1999. The group had been attending a party at a home on East Warner Avenue in Ventura when someone called police to complain about the noise.

The party-goers began attacking neighbors they believed made the complaint before confronting Zara, who swung a baseball bat at them as they converged on him. One man hit Zara in the head with a shovel, knocking him off the porch. Another grabbed Zara’s bat and beat him. Someone else stabbed him repeatedly. Zara suffered massive skull fractures and died the next day.

Four other defendants have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Benny Lopez Jr., 18, was sentenced to 32 years to life last year. Frank Olvera, 34; his wife, Rosana Olvera, 37; and Terry Schell, 23, were each sentenced to 15 years to life on charges of second-degree murder.

Fox said Salgado’s membership in a gang and his own words convicted him as a participant in the slaying. Defense attorney Richard Loftus had argued that Salgado’s confession was obtained after officers led him to believe he would go free if he admitted hitting Zara. But Fox said the confession was excellent police work and urged the jury to listen to it again during deliberations.

“It’s very low-key,” she said. “They didn’t try to break the guy down. He felt safe, he felt he was going home. It’s so revealing about what the defendant is feeling and thinking, it’s incredible.”

Fox also dismissed defense arguments that accused gang member Chris Gonzales, granted immunity for his testimony in the case, had fingered Salgado because Salgado wasn’t a key player in the gang and therefore couldn’t retaliate.

“He fingered the Olveras, Benny Lopez and Salgado,” she said. “If he has no fear, why is he running around in the witness protection program? Because if they find him, he’s dead.”

She scoffed at defense statements that Ventura police gang Officer Rick Payne, who testified during the trial, lacked the advanced education needed to truly grasp the sociology of gang life.

“Rick Payne is a street cop who has more experience talking to gang members than the defense’s [expert witnesses],” Fox said.