Three people accused of kidnapping two men and forcing them to
jump off a Hecker Pass bridge in October 2010 have pleaded guilty,
according to Steve Lowney, Santa Clara County deputy district
attorney.
Three people who pleaded no contest to kidnapping two men and forcing them to jump off a Hecker Pass bridge in October 2010 will be sentenced next month, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
Catrina Cameron, 23, Tamaya Duenas, 24, and Nathaniel Garcia, 22, will be sentenced at 9 a.m. July 12 in Dept. 110 of the South County Courthouse in Morgan Hill, said Amy Cornell, spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office. The three entered pleas June 6 in lieu of facing a jury trial, Cornell said.
Each faces 20 years in prison for kidnapping, robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, said Deputy District Attorney Dana Overstreet.
Attempted murder charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement, Overstreet said, which could have carried life sentences but with the possibility of parole.
“I really think that’s what the cases were – 20 years in prison,” she said. “Given their criminal histories, or lack thereof. These are not career criminals. This is one night that went horribly bad for everyone, and we need to take that into account when we look at punishment as well.”
Cameron, Garcia and Duenas lured Jose Hernandez and Fernando Aguilar into Duenas’ apartment Oct. 25, 2010, according to court documents,
The three defendants were waiting with guns and knives and stole the victims’ cell phones, jewelry and wallets, according to police. They then kidnapped the victims in Hernandez’s truck and forced the two to make cash withdrawals of $500 and $600 from ATMs, according to police.
The victims then were bound, blindfolded and driven to Sprig Lake off Hecker Pass Road in unincorporated Gilroy where they were allegedly pushed off the 15-foot bridge, according to police.
According to GPD Sgt. Chad Gallacinao, the victims’ injuries were not life-threatening and they were able to call police at 5:32 a.m. Oct. 25.
