Gabriel Cortez (DOB 2/21/1997), of Oxnard, was charged with the September 27, 2020, murder of Rogelio Lara, also of Oxnard. The complaint charges one count of murder with a special allegation that Cortez used a firearm in the commission of the crime.Â
At approximately 10:30 a.m., on September 27, 2020, Mr. Lara was sitting in the driver’s seat of his truck parked in a lot on the 3500 block of Harbor Blvd. in Oxnard when a male suspect approached and shot him multiple times with a handgun, killing him. Later that evening, Cortez was arrested in Oxnard for illegal possession of firearms by Oxnard Police Department. On September 29, 2020, while still in custody at the Ventura County Jail, Cortez was arrested for the murder of Mr. Lara.Â
On October 1, 2020, Cortez appeared for arraignment. He entered a plea of not guilty to the charges and set the case for an early disposition conference on October 13, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. in Courtroom 12 and for preliminary hearing on October 15, 2020, at 8:15 a.m. in courtroom 14 of the Ventura County Superior Court. Cortez is currently in custody with bail set at $750,000.