Jonathan Cardenas was 16 in 2008, when he attended a party at a Beach Hill motel. He and seven other teens had been drinking and smoking pot when a fight broke out between them. Another participant, a 14-year-old, accused Robbie Reynolds, 18, of stealing money from her purse. Reynolds smacked her, and Cardenas and another friend jumped into the fight. Cardenas stabbed Reynolds once in the side. Reynolds later died from the wound.
Jonathan Cardenas was 16 in 2008, when he attended a party at a Beach Hill motel. He and seven other teens had been drinking and smoking pot when a fight broke out between them. Another participant, a 14-year-old, accused Robbie Reynolds, 18, of stealing money from her purse. Reynolds smacked her, and Cardenas and another friend jumped into the fight. Cardenas stabbed Reynolds once in the side. Reynolds later died from the wound.
Cardenas’s attorneys argued that the stabbing was in self-defense, but the prosecutors argued that he stabbed Reynolds in a vulnerable location, disregarding the inherent danger this posed. Though it was not considered a gang slaying, the fact that Cardenas identifies with a Salinas-based gang and has gang tattoos also impacted the trial. The defense attempted to quash evidence of a gang connection, but the prosecutors argued that Cardenas acted in a gang-like manner even though the fight was not gang-related.
Cardenas faces 16 years to life in prison. He will be sentenced on Aug. 4. Read more at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
