Changed in an instant

By CARLOS VILLATORO
Register Staff Writer

Ricardo Gonzalez was looking forward to becoming a father.

The birth of his daughter would have signaled a new chapter in Gonzalez’s life, his family members said, one in which gangs took a back seat to late-night feedings and diaper changes. But Gonzalez never met his daughter.

Gonzalez, 19, was murdered in a gang brawl less than a week before his wife, Nilda, gave birth to their daughter, Ashley, at Queen of the Valley Medical Center.

“When he first (heard about the pregnancy) he started buying (baby) clothes,” said Nilda Gonzalez, 19. “He was really, really happy.”

They did not know the sex of the baby, so Ricardo bought Ashley clothes in neutral colors, yellow and green. He made plans to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering at Napa Valley College and move in with Nilda at her parent’s home in Fairfield, she said.

“He had a lot of plans for his baby,” she said. “We were saving money for our baby. It’s hard. I still can’t believe it. I just miss him caring for me. Missing his kisses, his touch, his hugs. It’s just not the same.”

‘They are afraid’

No one has been arrested for shooting Gonzalez. For Ricardo Gonzalez’s mother, Rosa Vargas, each day that passes without an arrest is marked by frustration and despair, she said.

Speaking of Ricardo’s friends, she said, “I want them to ... (tell the police) what happened, so that I may find peace. I think that they are afraid. They want nothing to do with police.”

Vargas said her son had no direct quarrels with anyone; but said that he hung out with a group of young men who put him in danger. When those friends visited the home, Vargas would order her son to make them leave.

“I didn’t want them at my house,” she said. “My son respected my wishes.”

Although Vargas acknowledged that her son was hanging out with gang members, she said she had no idea how deep into the life he might have been. Nilda said that Gonzalez’s gang activity had calmed considerably since he found out about the baby.

“He wasn’t actually involved (in the gang),” she said. “He didn’t have time to kick it with the guys.”

According to Nilda, Gonzalez worked from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m. at Red Rock Cafe in Napa, and would then go to a second job from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. Former Red Rock co-workers remember Gonzalez as a hard worker who was trying to do things right, but couldn’t stay away from his friends.

“He was very nice to everyone, he always came in early, to come in and do catering and stuff,” fellow employee Jessica Williams said. “He was a great person, we had a lot of fun with him. I love that kid to death but he made really wrong decisions.”

Williams said she would lecture Gonzalez about staying away from the gang.

“He would say ‘I know, but what am I going to do?” Williams said. “I’d say ‘Put your pride away, it’s about your child and your life.’ He was always, ‘I know, I know.’”

Williams said she recalls giving Gonzalez a ride home from work one night when a group of rival gang members attempted to stab him as he rode in the passenger seat. Williams said Gonzalez jumped out to avoid being stabbed and she jumped out to yell at the men to stop.

About three months later, Williams heard the news that Gonzalez was killed.

“I instantly cried and I was pretty angry,” Williams said. “I had just gotten done lecturing him about ... how he needs to grow (out of the gang).”

Nilda said that things were getting better for her husband and he was staying out of trouble. On the night of the murder, the couple had planned on going to a quinceañera — a coming-of-age party celebrated in Mexico and other Latino cultures — but she didn’t attend because she wasn’t feeling up to it.

Ricardo also skipped out on the celebration, but decided to pick up a younger brother who went to the party, his mother said. Vargas said that her son then came home and met up with a group of his friends. They then piled into several cars and made their way to the scene of the shooting, on Laurel Street west of Highway 29.

“I asked him where was he going,” she said. “He told me not to worry about it and he would be back.”

That was the last time she spoke to him.

“I don’t wish this upon anyone,” she said. “Why did they do this to him? I will never forget him.”

Nilda Gonzalez still wears her wedding ring and waits for the day when her husband’s killer is brought to justice.

“It seems like they aren’t working hard enough to work the case,” she said. “He’s out there and he’s not getting punished for what he did. Thanks to him my baby doesn’t have a dad.”

Police continue to hunt for the killer. Napa Police Sgt. Tim Cantillon, who took over the gang unit a few months ago when Sgt. Terry Gonsalves retired from the department, said the Gonzalez murder case is still actively being investigated.

“Essentially, what we are doing is following leads,” Cantillon said. “Our gang guys are up there (at the scene of the crime) on a regular basis. There is still some discussion on the street about what occurred. We are following leads.”

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