A Contra Costa County jury has found Andre Barocio Jr. guilty of first-degree murder in the fatal shooting outside Farrington’s Sports Bar in Pleasant Hill that killed 37-year-old Oscar Laredo-Arellano. The verdict caps a three-year investigation into the April 3, 2023, confrontation that police say started as a dispute inside the bar and spilled into the parking lot. Barocio is expected to be sentenced this summer.
The Pleasant Hill Police Department announced the verdict in a Facebook post, noting that Barocio, who was arrested in Mexico in 2023 and returned to the United States for trial, is scheduled to be sentenced in June. The department also reported that the trial began in March and shared a brief timeline of the case.
How the shooting unfolded
Pleasant Hill officers say the shooting happened just after 1 a.m. on April 3, 2023, after an argument inside Farrington’s moved outside into the parking lot. The Contra Costa County coroner identified the victim as 37-year-old Oscar Laredo-Arellano, who was pronounced dead at the scene, as reported by ABC7.
Arrest and extradition
Investigators later identified Barocio as the primary suspect and said evidence indicated he left California and likely relocated to Mexico. Working with federal partners and Mexican state police in Mexicali, officers arrested Barocio on May 22, 2023, and returned him to U.S. custody at the Calexico border crossing. He was booked on murder and weapons charges, according to ContraCosta News.
Trial this spring
The case went to trial in March and wrapped up this week when jurors returned the guilty verdict, the Pleasant Hill Police Department wrote in its Facebook post. Court filings show the case was handled in Contra Costa County Superior Court and is now moving to a sentencing hearing set for next month.
Legal next steps
Barocio is scheduled to be sentenced in June. Under California law, a first-degree murder conviction can carry a sentence of 25 years to life, life without the possibility of parole, or death, with the specific punishment determined at sentencing and based on any special-circumstance findings; see California Legislative Information for the statute.
Pleasant Hill Police thanked partner agencies for their work on the case and offered condolences to Laredo-Arellano’s family. The Martinez court will set and conduct the sentencing hearing, and the final outcome will be reflected in public court records.
