Murder defendant takes plea deal in 2021 slaying

A man charged with a 2021 roadside slaying outside Watsonville pleaded no contest to first-degree murder ahead of his preliminary hearing this week.

Juan Almaraz Rios was among three arrested nearly four months after the death of Abel Ruiz III, 21, of Castroville. Ruiz was found on the night of Oct. 17, 2021, lying on the side of the road and suffering from a gunshot wound near Carlton and Coward roads, south of Watsonville. Nearby, a white BMW was parked where it had been driven off the road.

The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office arrested Rios and two juveniles, ages 14 and 15, on suspicion of murder in early February 2022. Because the two alleged accomplices were underage at the time of the slaying, their names and court proceeding outcomes are unknown.

Rios, a 22-year-old Watsonville man, was set to go before a judge Tuesday to determine if he would face trial in the case. However, during a hearing confirmation conference Thursday, Rios instead opted to plea to charges of first-degree murder and a felony special enhancement for causing great bodily injury while personally discharging a firearm. Per a negotiated plea deal with Santa Cruz County District Attorney's Office Assistant District Attorney Nick Sympson, an earlier charge of robbery and an extensive list of additional special enhancements initially filed against him in this case will be dropped, including firearm enhancements that cannot be stacked to add additional time to a sentence, Sympson said.

With the remaining charges, Rios faces two 25-years-to-life prison sentences set to be served consecutively, for a total 50-years-to-life sentence, per terms of the plea deal. He is set to appear before Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Denine Guy for sentencing at 1:30 p.m., April 12.