Southern California gang member sentenced to prison for killing man with sawed-off shotgun

A Ventura County gang member will spend between 60 years and the rest of his life in prison for killing a man with a sawed-off shotgun in December 2022 in an attempt to “impress” members of his gang.

On Thursday, the Ventura County District Attorney’s office announced that 24-year-old Michael Ortega of Oxnard was sentenced to 64 years to life in state prison for the killing of John Paul Carrillo.

Ortega was convicted by a jury in August on charges of murder, felony possession of methamphetamine and felony possession of a sawed-off shotgun.

Ortega was one of two men charged in the Dec. 5, 2022 killing of Carrillo.

Authorities said Ortega, his co-defendant Paul Ramos, and a third man, traveled to an apartment complex on Gonzales Road in Oxnard just after midnight where they confronted a man in the complex parking lot.

The man convinced the three that he was “in good standing with their gang,” and the men let him go.

They then confronted Carrillo in a nearby carport. Carrillo, who the D.A.’s Office says was not affiliated with any gangs, was punched and shot in the chest with the shotgun and pronounced dead at the scene.

The three suspects fled the scene in Ramos’ vehicle but were captured on security footage committing the crime.

Ortega was arrested days later by Oxnard Police Department officers. The murder weapon, the D.A.’s Office said, “fell out of his pants as they arrested him.” He was also found to be in possession of meth at the time of his arrest.

Ramos was arrested in March 2023 during a traffic stop and pleaded guilty to two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon. He was sentenced in June to 10 years in state prison.

Ortega had previously been convicted of shooting a victim in the back with a shotgun in 2019 and was prohibited from possessing a firearm.

The case was prosecuted by Theresa Pollara, Senior Deputy District Attorney of the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.

Pollara said the senseless killing of John Paul Carrillo “illustrates the tragedy of street gang crime.”

“[Ortega] acted to impress his gang, but there was nothing noble or brave about shooting an innocent youth. The judge said it best when he explained to the defendant that ‘he took two lives, his and Mr. Carrillo’s’.”

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