Gang members convicted in 2014 shooting of father of three in San Jose

SAN JOSE >> Richard Watkins was just 24, with two young daughters and a son on the way, when he stepped out onto Azucar Avenue five years ago and was shot through the heart in the street.

He was trying to help his brother-in-law Ricky Robello safely park for a backyard barbecue the family was having to celebrate the life of Robello’s terminally ill grandmother.

Robello had called his family to say there were some toughlooking men watching him as he looked for a spot, and Watkins, married to his sister, went out to help keep the peace.

The fears were justified: The men, Ernest Jordan and Robert Orosco, drinking and doing drugs in front of the house where the party was happening, thought Robello was about to shoot them because he was driving along the street so slowly. They pulled out guns and opened fire. A bullet fired by Jordan hit Watkins and killed him.

This week, Jordan, 28, and Orosco, 34, were convicted of first-degree murder in the Sept. 27, 2014 slaying, with special circumstances of lying in wait and shooting at an occupied vehicle, along with gang and gun charging enhancements that make it likely they will spend the rest of the lives in prison without the possibility of parole.

Malia Watkins, the victim’s widow, said the jury’s verdict was comforting, because her children, now ages 9, 8 and 4, almost certainly will not have to see their father’s killer free.

“Richard was very funny, outgoing and creative, and he stood out there that night for my family,” Malia Watkins, 28, said. “Through that he sacrificed his life, the chance at meeting his son, and the chance of watching his kids grow. We were robbed.”

She added, “I’ve been in so much shock reflecting on all the trauma from this entire experience. But I definitely feel justice has been served, and I appreciate the work of everyone involved who helped us get here.”

Deputy District Attorney Rob Baker successfully argued to jurors that Jordan, Orosco and another man, Alexander Marquez, hid behind cars and trees on Azucar Avenue to ambush Robello, thinking he was a rival gang member. Robello, who spotted them at one point, was immediately suspicious, Baker said.

“He called his mom and said, ‘I think these guys are going to jump me,’ ” Baker said, adding that neither Robello nor Watkins had any gang ties.