Santa Ana man gets life for killing lover with decorative rock

An Orange County man has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for beating his boyfriend to death with a decorative rock in a plot to steal his car, money and electronics, prosecutors said.

Jose Fuentes, 26, was found guilty by a jury in March of one felony count of murder, with sentencing enhancements for lying in wait and committing a robbery and burglary, according to a statement from the Orange County district attorney’s office.

Fuentes, who was sentenced Friday, was also found guilty of robbery and burglary.

Prosecutors said Fuentes, who lived in Santa Ana, had been plotting in June 2010 to kill Pedro Cerecer, with whom he’d been in a relationship for about a month.

On June 5, Fuentes went to Cerecer’s apartment, where they had drinks and had sex, prosecutors said. Cerecer dozed off, and as he slept, Fuentes straddled him and beat him to death with a decorative rock, they said.

Prosecutors said Fuentes stole Cerecer’s credit cards, cellphone and other electronics, including a flat-screen television, loading the haul into Cerecer’s car, a Toyota sedan.

The next day, prosecutors said, Fuentes was stopped by Garden Grove police as he drove through the city. He was arrested for possession of a controlled substance and driving without a valid license. The car was impounded.

Detectives in Santa Ana, who were investigating Cerecer’s death, were able to link the killing to Fuentes after searching for Cerecer’s car and finding that it had been impounded by Garden Grove police, prosecutors said.

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