Yuba City men take plea deals in deadly Knights Landing shooting

Three Yuba City men connected to the June shooting death of 51-yearold Rosendo Amavizca in Knights Landing took plea deals this past week.

Armando Mendez, 20, of Yuba City, Michael Margueis, 23, of Live Oak, and Trevor Morgan, 19, of Yuba City are not alleged to have actually shot the victim, according to the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office. Three other people were also arrested in the case – all miniors at the time of the incident, so their proceedings are closed to the public.

The three adult defendants were initially charged with murder, criminal gang activity and assault with a deadly weapon. They have been held in Yolo County Jail without bail ever since.

After numerous delays, stemming from issues with attorney availability, a preliminary hearing was scheduled for Wednesday. However, a plea agreement was worked out instead.

The men, who previously pleaded not guilty, entered no contest pleas to felony assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury and criminal street gang activity, according to the DA’S Office.

Mendez and Morgan took a deal for two years in prison, and Marguies did an “open plea” where he could get a range of outcomes from probation with no prison time to up to three years in prison, according to the DA’S Office.

Judge David Reed is scheduled to sentence the trio at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 14 in Department 7.

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