An Oxnard man, Jacob Saldivar, has entered a guilty plea to a string of violent offenses, including a 2019 murder. District Attorney Erik Nasarenko confirmed Saldivar pled guilty to 12 felonies on September 8, 2025. His convictions encompass the killing of Charles Barber, seven counts of robbery, two occurrences of residential burglary, sodomy of a minor, and unlawful sexual intercourse, the Ventura County District Attorney's Office reported.
These crimes took place over several months in 2019, starting when Saldivar was 16 years old. The 24th of June marked the tragic assault on Charles Barber, where Saldivar, in a twist of rage, fatally stabbed him with a knife in an Oxnard parking area, leading to Barber succumbing to his injuries inside the apartment complex. Saldivar's crime spree was marked by targeting young and elderly victims alike, and he also admitted to using a deadly weapon in the murder of Mr. Barber and causing great bodily injury to an elder in the course of a robbery, as detailed by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
Saldivar's actions were not limited to robbery and murder; they extended to violent thefts and sexual crimes. The report details incidents where Saldivar knocked an 82-year-old man unconscious and later robbed another elderly man in a Home Depot parking lot, soon after committing the murder. The same month, he orchestrated the luring of underage girls to a motel, engaging in unlawful sexual acts.
Given the violent nature of these offenses, the Ventura County prosecutors decided to move the case to adult court. Senior Deputy District Attorney Theresa Pollara, from the Major Crimes Homicides Unit, spearheaded the prosecution. "The Ventura County District Attorney's Office is dedicated to protecting the safety of our community and in the case of Saldivar, made the choice to transfer him from juvenile to adult court, a choice that is never taken lightly but provided the best opportunity to rehabilitate a violent youthful offender," Pollara said, as stated by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office. Saldivar's sentencing is set for October 7. He remains in custody with no bail and faces a potential sentence of 33 years to life in state prison.
