The streets of Ventura have long remembered the violence of June 27, 2012, but now there's a semblance of closure as Gilbert Villanueva, a gang member, was handed a life sentence for the cold-blooded murder of a teen, the district attorney's office said.
Villanueva, now 29, received 25 years to life in prison for gunning down 14-year-old Joshua Angel Burciaga in what is described as a gang retaliation hit, the prosecutors stated with the defendants covering their faces with bandanas stalking their victim, and after shooting him repeatedly, they fired additional shots over his fallen body as he pled for his life.
In a detailed account posted on the Ventura County District Attorney's official website, the fatal encounter unfolded at Saticoy Park in Saticoy where Burciaga met his tragic end, suffering multiple gunshot wounds including two at close range to the head, based on the Medical Examiner's report findings.
Justice may have been delayed but not denied, "We are grateful to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office for their thorough investigation of this case," said Supervising Senior Deputy District Attorney Tom Dunlevy, adding that Villanueva's sentencing "provides some sense of closure to the victim’s family after so many years and allows them to continue the healing process," sentiments echoed on the official press release
Despite being a minor at the time of the murder, Villanueva was tried as an adult, and his co-defendant, Justin Patino, was also dealt a heavy sentence of 50 years to life after a 2018 jury conviction for the same murder, Villanueva was apprehended in July following the crime and his partner in crime caught on October 3, 2012, right as he was released from a juvenile facility on unrelated charges.
