Jesus Gonzalez was found guilty of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon Friday afternoon for his 2010 attack on Hard Luck Tavern owner Lance Hicks.
“I’m really happy for the victim,” Imperial County Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Alan Brooker said. “This will give him peace of mind in his rehabilitation process.”
Gonzalez was convicted of stabbing Hicks 15 times after he refused to allow Gonzalez and his two friends into his bar after hours. Gonzalez faces 21 years to life in prison, Brooker said.
Sentencing will be later this week.
Hicks was left paralyzed by the attack and is now confined to a wheelchair.
“I hope he gets the max sentence,” Hicks said.
The jurors ultimately took a long time processing the case, Brooker said. “They spent all of Friday and some of Thursday deliberating.”
The jury also reviewed the video of the assault multiple times, at different speeds, explained Brooker. The attack was caught on a surveillance camera.
Brooker said he believes the reason the jurors took such a long time was because they were trying to decipher what mental state Gonzalez was in, given that he was heavily intoxicated during his attack on Hicks.
However, Brooker said he believes the testimony Gonzalez’s friend, Ramon Bonesi, gave the jurors regarding Bonesi pulling Gonzalez off of Hicks during the attack, added to the case built against Gonzalez.
Staff Writer Celeste Alvarez can be reached at 760-337-3442 or at calvarez@ivpressonline.com
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