Two sentenced to prison in deadly Santa Rosa home-invasion robbery

Two men who triggered a deadly gunfight when they attempted to break into an occupied Santa Rosa home for marijuana and cash were sentenced Thursday to state prison terms.

Miguel Flores Jr., 39, of Cloverdale received six years and Fidencio Bocanegra Reyes, 27, got 10 years and four months in a plea bargain with prosecutors that closes out the 2-year-old case.

Witnesses said the two, along with a third man, Pablo Reyes Martinez, 22, used a sledgehammer in the middle of the night to try to break down the front door of an Acacia Lane home where a pot dealer, his wife and young children were sleeping.

The dealer, Manual Garcia, 27, woke up, grabbed a pistol and began shooting through a window, hitting Reyes and Martinez. They fled to a hospital where Martinez died of his wounds.

Flores and Reyes were later charged with murder under a theory that they were committing provocative acts resulting in an accomplice’s death. But they reached a deal with prosecutors in which the charges were dropped and they pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit home-invasion robbery. Reyes also pleaded no contest to burglary.

Flores maintained throughout that he was just the driver and did not know what the others were doing, said his attorney, Walter Rubenstein.

Garcia, the occupant, also was not prosecuted for the killing. He later admitted to felony child endangerment with gun and drug manufacturing allegations and served more than a year in jail.

Neighbor Mario Lopez Ramirez, 25, who police said was involved in pot sales with Garcia, settled similar charges with a suspended prison sentence.

You can reach Staff Writer Paul Payne at 707-568-5312 or paul.payne@pressdemocrat.com.