Monterey County prosecutors yesterday announced that a criminal grand jury has indicted 21-year-old Manuel Galindo Rodriguez of Greenfield as the fourth and final suspected gunman in a deadly series of shootings in early 2024. The charges tie Rodriguez to the Feb. 4 double murder near Greenfield and the March 3 King City birthday-party shooting that left four people dead and seven others wounded. He has been in custody since April 2024 while investigators continued a multiagency probe.
District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni said the Monterey County criminal grand jury returned the indictment after five days of testimony and found probable cause to charge Rodriguez with multiple killings and related offenses, according to KSBW.
What Prosecutors Say Happened
Prosecutors allege Rodriguez joined three other Greenfield men - Pedro Nava, Jonathan Cervantes and Angel Evans - in a string of thefts and shootings that ultimately led to the King City birthday-party attack. Authorities say the group used stolen vehicles to rob a Big 5 Sporting Goods store at Northridge Mall on Feb. 3, then chased down and fatally shot two cousins outside Greenfield the following day, according to King City Rustler.
On March 3, the suspects allegedly drove to a birthday party in the 200 block of North 2nd Street, stepped out of a stolen silver Kia and opened fire on people gathered under a tent. Eleven people were hit by gunfire, and four of them - Francisco Perez, Olivo Perez, Mario Guzman and Alicia Aparicio - were killed, authorities said, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Charges and Next Steps
Rodriguez faces 25 felony counts, including multiple counts of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, street terrorism and various weapons offenses, according to prosecutors. He has remained in custody since April 2024 and is scheduled to be arraigned on May 26 in Department 1 of Monterey County Superior Court, according to KSBW.
Legal Implications
The indictment alleges the crimes were committed “for the benefit of the Norteno Criminal Street Gang,” which could trigger gang-enhancement penalties if proved at trial. Prosecutors said they plan to consolidate Rodriguez’s case with those of Nava, Cervantes and Evans, bringing all four defendants into a single prosecution, per reporting from King City Rustler.
The investigation stretched over more than two years and involved the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office, the King City Police Department and the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators served hundreds of search warrants and combed through large amounts of digital evidence. Authorities are still asking anyone with information to contact law enforcement, according to a Monterey County Sheriff’s Office statement.
