‘He was already down’: Two agree to 12 years in prison for killing man at Oakland park

OAKLAND — Two men have agreed to serve 12-year prison terms for beating another man to death at a park in a broad daylight attack, court records show.

Melvin Espinolobo, 24, and Alexander Garciaamaya, 29, both pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the May 10, 2020 killing of 28-year-old Jose Mejia-Lemus. They remain at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin with the expectation of being formally sentenced in December.

The attack was witnessed by passers-by and others at the Josie de la Cruz Park at 1637 Fruitvale Ave. Authorities say a little after 3 p.m., one of the two suspects argued with Mejia-Lemus, then retrieved two bats from a nearby homeless encampment where they lived. One of the suspects was seen with a machete, according to police testimony.

An eyewitness testified at the 2022 preliminary hearing that Mejia-Lemus pleaded “leave me alone” as he was being killed, but that both men continued to hit him.

“The worst thing was when he was already down on the ground they just kept beating him,” the man testified. Another witness testified that Mejia-Lemus claimed to have a knife, but others said he was unarmed, according to court records.

The two men were arrested and charged shortly after the homicide and their case has been pending ever since. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors are dropping murder charges against both men, court records show.

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