Second Brother Charged in Rochester Murder Case Enters Guilty Plea

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- The second brother charged in a Rochester murder case has entered a guilty plea. 

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Both brothers were charged following a fatal shooting that occurred in the Crossroads Shopping Center parking lot in southwest Rochester last February. 

Court documents said the deadly shooting stemmed from a parking dispute. 

24-year-old Osbel Ornelas lost his life in the shooting. Responding officers arrested 20-year-old Isaac Gutierrez and 28-year-old José Gutierrez Ojeda at the scene.

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The brothers claimed the shooting was an act of self-defense. Rochester police identified Isaac as the shooter and found he shot Ornelas in the back of the head, the complaint says. 

He was convicted of second-degree murder at the conclusion of a trial last August. Isaac was given a five-year prison sentence, which is far below the 10 years to 15 year sentence recommended by state sentencing guidelines. 

Older Brother Pleads Guilty to Role in Fatal Rochester, MN Shopping Center Parking Lot Shooting

Gutierrez Ojeda was initially charged with second-degree assault. The Olmsted County Attorney’s Office then added felony counts of terroristic threats and two counts of aiding an offender after it was determined that Gutierrez Ojeda falsely claimed he was the shooter, the complaint says. 

On Thursday, Gutierrez Ojeda entered a guilty plea to the felony aiding an offender count. 

In exchange the prosecution dismissed the other three charges, according to Olmsted County court records. He is scheduled to be sentenced in May.