SAN JOSE, CA – On Tuesday, in Santa Clara County Superior Court, Edgar Lainez-Portillo, 25, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, in the May 2020 shooting death of 48-year-old Robert Rivera.
Lainez-Portillo walked up on Rivera, as he was working in the backyard of a Los Altos home and shot him several times from behind.
Around 11 a.m., May 4, Los Altos police responded to a shooting call on Highlands Circle, and found Rivera “slumped over on his knees, in the backyard, with apparent gunshot wounds to the back and head,” the police report read.
As it turns out, Lainez-Portillo and the victim had dated the same woman, who had recently broken up with Lainez-Portillo.
The Palo Alto Daily Post reported:
Security footage from the home showed a suspect with a black, full-face helmet and gloves pull up on a blue Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R motorcycle with gold trim, according to a statement of facts from Sgt. Cameron Shearer.
The suspect parked the motorcycle on the street curb and walked through the side yard to get to the backyard. He appeared to be pulling a handgun out of his jacket pocket, Shearer said.
Four shots can be heard in the security video, according to Shearer. The suspect then ran to the front and fled on the bike.
A woman who spoke with Lainez-Portillo at a party shortly after the fatal shooting, told detectives that he stated that he had “done something bad,” and “that he had killed someone,” according to court documents.
A search of Lainez-Portillo's home discovered the motorcycle and helmet caught by the security camera. The motorcycle was concealed under a cover.
Rivera, who worked as a bricklayer as well as a gardener, was killed on his first day back to work, due to the state's COVID-19 restrictions.
Edgar Lainez-Portillo will be sentenced to 50 years to life for the murder. He will be eligible for parole after serving 25 years.
Where did you find the information the killer was an illegal alien. I could not find any articles or reporting that mentioned immigration statu.