A Ventura County Superior Court judge sentenced the man convicted of killing one man and injuring three others during two Oxnard shootings to 94 years to life in state prison April 6, according to court records.
Jurors found 23-year-old Oxnard resident Willis Nichols guilty of murder, attempted murder, two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, three counts of shooting at an occupied vehicle and more than 20 special allegations. The verdict came March 4 after a roughly three-week trial.
“The court’s sentence and the findings of the jury reflect the danger he presents to society,” Senior Deputy District Attorney Theresa Pollara wrote in a Ventura County District Attorney’s Office news release.
Despite the sentencing handed down by Judge Julia Snyder, Nichols will be eligible for parole after serving 24 years in prison due to California’s youthful offender law.
During the trial, Pollara said that on March 12, 2022, Nichols – allegedly a member of a graffiti tagging crew – fatally shot Adrian Sandoval – allegedly a member of a rival criminal street gang and injured two others. The shooting took place during a party at the vacant former Goodwill on Saviers Road, and all three victims were unarmed.
Nichols, the prosecutor said, was seeking revenge on the street gang after one of its members posted a mugshot of a member of his gang bleeding and crying.
Sandoval’s loved ones said he left behind a daughter, who was only 7 months old at the time and who now only knows him from photos.
In a separate shooting on Dec. 24, 2021, Nichols engaged in an argument with a group of three unarmed individuals in the Target parking lot at The Collection, Pollara said.
Nichols shot one man multiple times, and surveillance video shows that all shots were fired after the victim retreated to his car. Pollara said Nichols also narrowly missed the other occupants. The victim survived.
Makena Huey is an investigative and watchdog reporter for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at makena.huey@vcstar.com. This story was made possible by a grant from the Ventura County Community Foundation’s Fund to Support Local Journalism.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Man in Oxnard murder gets 94 years to life; age could shorten his stay
Reporting by Makena Huey, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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