A week before his bench trial was set to begin, Alexis Pineda pled guilty this month to second-degree murder in the shooting death of Jose Hernandez-Romero.
According to the proffer of facts signed by Pineda and his attorneys, the government had enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Pineda walked into El Sauce restaurant on March 27, 2011, and shot Hernandez-Romero once in the chest. Pineda attested that he had consumed alcohol prior to the shooting.
Pineda, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, had initially pleaded innocent to the charges of first-degree murder. In July, Pineda waived his right to a jury trial, and a bench trial was scheduled for Oct. 19. But on Oct. 12, Pineda pled guilty to the lesser murder charge.
The plea agreement includes a negotiated sentence of between 16 and 26 years in prison. Pineda is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Robert Morin on Dec. 14 at 11:00 a.m.
The plea agreement is below:
