American Canyon man convicted in Sonoma murder

3 p.m.A 25-year-old American Canyon man could spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder in Santa Rosa.

Juan Carlos Perez faces 43 years to life after he was convicted on June 19 of second-degree murder for the 2007 gang-related shooting death of a teenager at a park near Sonoma, according to Spencer Brady, Sonoma County chief deputy district attorney.

Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 17 in Sonoma County Superior Court. Perez is being held on no bail at the Sonoma County Jail. His attorney could not be reached for comment.

Two others were arrested shortly after the Oct. 22, 2007, murder of 17-year-old Luis Roberto Miranda at Maxwell Farms Regional Park, an 85-acre park off Highway 12 east of Sonoma. The murder rocked the normally quiet community of Sonoma.

Javier Ceja, 21, of Sonoma, was charged as an accessory after the fact to murder. He pleaded before trial, admitted to a gang enhancement and testified against Perez, Brady said. The trial of Juan Calderon, 19, of Sonoma, was set for Aug. 28.

Brady, quoting the pathologist, said three shots were fired, with at least two hitting the victim, 17-year-old Luis Roberto Miranda.

The victim was allegedly affiliated with the Norteño gang, Brady said; all defendants are alleged Sureños, he added.

A series of forums took place after the murder to discuss gang- and youth-related issues. These led to a greater understanding of the issues, Sonoma Mayor Ken Brown said on Saturday. The meetings between different groups continue to this day, he noted.

2 comment(s)

shareathought wrote on Jun 29, 2009 4:28 PM:

" "These led to a greater understanding of the issues"

What are the issues?

Approximately 20 years ago, the Napa Valley Register had headlines that ran something like "No Gangs in Napa, YET"

It may be time for our community to be educated about the "Norteño" & "Sureños" groups. "

napasfinest wrote on Jun 29, 2009 7:25 PM:

" Shareathought, clearly you haven't lived here for more than a year or you just started reading the newspaper. There have been countless articles in the paper over the years about the Norteno and Sureno gangs. But what good is that going to do? There is nothing that you can do about it. They aren't out to hurt you. You will more than likely never have a run-in with a gang member. You live in one of the safest communities possible. Gangs are in every town in the U.S. "

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