D.A’s Office declines to prosecute three men arrested in death of man found in Anaheim
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office has decided against filing murder charges against three men arrested on suspicion of killing a man in September last year in Anaheim.
Johnathan Rowe, Larry Douglass II and Zachary Goemaat, all 19; were initially arrested late last month by the Anaheim Police Department on suspicion of killing Julio Cesar Munoz at a “factory party” near an industrial area in Anaheim.
Officials said the body of Munoz, 36, of Placentia, was found by officers near a dumpster in a cul-de-sac on the 1200 block of North Sunshine Way on Sept. 29. He was found with a single gunshot wound in his head.
Douglass, an Artesia resident, and Rowe, a Santa Ana resident, were both arrested on Jan 29. Goemaat, also a Santa Ana resident, was arrested on Jan 30.
“Once we made the arrest, the District Attorney’s Office had two days to decide if they filed charges against someone,” Anaheim police Sgt. Jeff Mundy said Tuesday. “Our job is to gather evidence and facts, and the attorney’s office has to determine if they can prove beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Mundy said that although the District Attorney’s Office didn’t move forward with charges, the department would continue its investigation to see if there is any additional evidence.
The District Attorney’s Office said in a statement it reviewed the case and concluded that it didn’t have sufficient evidence to prove a crime happened beyond a reasonable doubt.
“In this case, without getting into specifics, there are facts consistent with a self-defense claim,” Mundy said.
Police earlier said: “Factory parties are held at various locations throughout the region and are often staged in industrial areas where guests park their cars and participate in illicit activities.” Evidence indicated the Anaheim party in September involved the recreational use of nitrous oxide, or NOS.
Rowe and Goemaat were released from jail. Douglass remained in custody Wednesday at the Orange County Central Men’s Jail in Santa Ana on suspicion of being a probationer in possession of a firearm.