Joseph Avila
Statement of Facts:
At the time, the strip of Magnolia Avenue near the Galleria at Tyler was a popular spot for cruising. The victims were among 10 men who had come from Orange County in a four-car caravan. They were taking a break from cruising in the parking lot in the early morning of January 12, 1991, when a group of men that included Avila drove up and started arguing about three young women socializing with the Orange County group. The argument seemed to cool down, but Avila went to two different cars and appeared to retrieve something. Moments later he began a knife attack that left one 17-year-old severely wounded and two men dead, each stabbed in the heart.
The man who survived the attack testified at Avila's trial that neither murder victim -- Robert Navarro Jr., 20, and Raul Moncada, 18 -- had been involved in the earlier confrontation with Avila. None of the Orange County men were armed. Toxicology tests showed no trace of drugs or alcohol on either victim. The victims' relatives testified that Navarro and Moncada stayed away from gangs. Moncada was described as a talented artist preparing for his Mormon mission while Navarro was remembered as a doting uncle who helped his sister financially.
Avila was sentenced to death in Riverside County on April 29, 1999.
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