San Jose: Man sentenced to 15 years to life after being convicted of murder of beloved Little League coach

SAN JOSE — In a courtroom filled with family and friends of both the Little League coach stabbed to death in 2017 and the three men convicted of killing him, a judge sentenced one man to 25 years to life in prison Friday after he were convicted last fall of second-degree murder.

Judge David Cena’s sentence for 26-year-old Santos Trevino included a one-year enhancement and one year in time served and denied him probation. He is also barred from owning firearms and ammunition for the rest of his life.

The sentencing for 32-year-old Joseph Esquivel and 29-year-old Aaron Vallejo’s was pushed back to May 13 in order to review their probation reports. On Oct. 1, the trio were found guilty second-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon in the killing of 35-year-old Frank Navarro, who was fatally stabbed over a confiscated driver’s license while working as a security guard at a downtown bar. They were also found guilty of assaulting another security guard who Navarro was helping.

“It’s clear to me that Mr. Navarro was loved and was missed by all of his friends and family,” Cena said, addressing Navarro’s friends and family members. “I was impressed by the letters and statements. It’s clear he was heavily involved in youth and not just sports but trying to better the lives of children who were in the sports programs he was involved with.”

An attorney for Trevino spoke about his neglectful upbringing rife with crime and drugs, and asked Cena not to impose the one-year enhancement to Trevino’s sentence.

“He did a very very stupid thing,” said attorney Tyler Smith. “He was a punk kid. But he has worked every day to be better. He will continue to work to be a better person.”

The fourth defendant, 25-year-old Andrew Cervantes, was acquitted on both the murder charge and the assault with a deadly weapon charge, but convicted him of misdemeanor assault. Defense attorneys described Cervantes as a “peacemaker” who didn’t participate in the Feb. 26, 2017 altercation that left Navarro dead.

During the trial that spanned more than two months and began in July, testimony and arguments centered around whether the reaction by Joseph Esquivel, Trevino, Cervantes and Vallejo had the necessary planning to make him culpable for murder, even though Trevino was the only one who stabbed Navarro. Another point of contention was the foursome’s gang ties and whether the affiliations made it a gang crime subject to more severe charges.

Trevino’s sentencing was a milestone in a more than a four-year process that involved two of the six people indicted for Navarro’s slaying reaching plea deals and Navarro’s family and friends waiting for someone to be held accountable for his death. The killing rocked East San Jose, where Navarro was well-known as an Overfelt High School alum and president of the Eastridge Little League, where he was coached by his grandfather when he was a child.

On the night of Feb. 26, 2017, Joseph Esquivel, his sister Percella Esquivel and Santos Trevino’s brother tried to get into Tres Gringos Cabo Cantina on Second Street, according to authorities. Joseph Esquivel concealed a face tattoo over his left eyebrow, which would’ve violated the bar’s entry policy, with makeup and gave Trevino’s driver’s license to a security guard at the door.

The security guard confiscated the license and turned them away after deciding it was being fraudulently used and refused to give it back to the Esquivels. The pair called their friends and a red Buick pulled up to the scene. Four men — Trevino, Cervantes, Robert Ruiz and Vallejo — exited the vehicle, although Ruiz went back into the car shortly after.

Trevino and the others walked up to the security guard who had the ID, tried to reach into his pockets and threatened him, resulting in a physical struggle. Navarro, who was working as the security manager, tried to intervene, and Trevino reportedly pulled out a pocket knife and stabbed him in the neck and body.

Vallejo got back into the car and sped off with Ruiz while the others ran off. Navarro was gravely injured and died later at a local hospital. Vallejo and Ruiz were arrested that same night in West San Jose, just a few miles away. Trevino was tracked down a few days later in Rocklin, outside Sacramento, and the Esquivels and Cervantes were arrested in the next few days.

The jury rejected the standalone gang charges and gang enhancements, which defense attorneys said was overcharging based on who the defendants were. Jurors failed to agree on a verdict for an attempted robbery charge alleging they tried to take back a confiscated ID from security guards and a charge that the group assaulted a third security guard.

The six original defendants were indicted in January 2018. Percella Esquivel reached a plea agreement that dropped her murder charge and resulted in convictions for attempted robbery and three counts of assault with a deadly weapon. Ruiz pleaded to counts of assault with a deadly weapon, attempted robbery street gang participation and evading a police officer.

Deputy District Attorney Lance Daugherty said evidence suggested it was a premeditated coordinated attack while defense attorneys Jeff Dunn, Mondonna Mostofi and Dan Mayfield — representing Joseph Esquivel, Vallejo and Cervantes — said the group only intended to get back Trevino’s ID.

Navarro was a longtime volunteer of Eastridge Little League and served as both a coach and board member. He was the league president at the time of his death. His mother, Regina Delgado, praised his generous spirit and said Navarro once donated his winnings from a radio contest to the Little League.

“He was a great man,” she said. “He had a lot of ideas coming up and changes he wanted for himself but it never happened. Everyone was destroyed because of the tragedy that happened to him. We still can’t believe it.”

Robert Delgado, Navarro’s stepfather, said that he was hoping all of the defendants would receive life sentences.

“We feel justice was not served the way it should have been because we no longer have our beloved son,” Delgado said at the hearing. “We hope and pray that you all never come out to destroy another family again.”