Two men convicted of killing 9-year-old in fatal car crash in Orange during road rage incident

Two men were convicted Tuesday for their roles in a road rage-fueled chase and hit-and-run crash in Orange that left a 9-year-old boy dead.

A Santa Ana jury found Roderick Kent Jerro, 53, and Miguel Villagomez, 29, guilty of a felony count each of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. Jerro also was convicted of hit and run with permanent injury and death.

The incident began with a minor traffic collision around 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 6, 2015 in which Villagomez ran a red light and struck Jerro’s vehicle in the Tustin Street and Palm Avenue intersection.

Villagomez drove away from the collision with Jerro in pursuit. In a less than two minute chase, the two drivers sped and blew through red lights.

According to prosecutors, the drivers side mirror on Jerro’s vehicle struck 9-year-old Jesse Rosales as the boy was walking with his older sister in a crosswalk at the North Glassell Street and Wilson Avenue intersection.

The two drivers continued on, until Villagomez failed to make a left turn onto West Taft Avenue and crashed into a brick wall. Jerro stopped his vehicle, and the two men were arrested.

Rosales was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

During the trial, Senior Deputy District Attorney Whitney Bokosky said Villagomez and Jerro showed “complete disregard for all traffic rules and the safety of anyone who was in their way.” She placed blame for Rosales’ death on both drivers.

Villagomez should have immediately pulled over after hitting Jerro’s car, the prosecutor said.

“If Mr. Villagomez had done what he was supposed to do, Jesse would be alive,” Bokosky said.

Despite Villagomez’s decision to leave the scene of the initial traffic accident, the prosecutor said Jerro had no right to speed after him.

“Just because someone doesn’t do what you want them to do, you can’t take the law into your own hands,” Bokosky said. “We can’t play cowboys here.”

Attorneys for the two men both described Rosales’ death as a tragedy, but each placed blame for the fatal crash on the other party.

Julie Swain, Villagomez’s attorney, said Jerro was in a rage since his car had been struck by another driver several weeks prior, and Villagomez was in fear for his life.

“I’m not going to tell you Mr. Villagomez didn’t drive in a dangerous way,” Swain said told jurors during closing arguments of the trial. “But he had a reason. He was being chased, he was being pursued.”

Jerome Bradford, Jerro’s attorney, said Jerro was trying to get the license plate number of Villagomez’s car or keep track of him for police.

“While Mr. Villagomez had no legal right to take off, any United States citizen has a right to make a citizen’s arrest,” Bradford told the jury.

Both men are scheduled to return to court for sentencing on Oct. 12. Jerro faces up to 22 years in state prison, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, while Villagomez faces up to six years.