Accomplice in 2024 Rochester Murder Spared Prison Sentence

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The brother of a man convicted of a fatal shooting in Rochester last year has avoided a prison sentence for his felony conviction stemming from the death of 24-year-old Osbel Ornelas.

Twenty-eight-year-old José Gutierrez Ojeda was sentenced this afternoon on a charge of aiding an offender. He entered into a plea agreement in February and admitted to the charge in exchange for the dismissal of second-degree assault, terroristic threats, and another count of aiding an offender.

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He and his brother, 21-year-old Isaac Gutierrez, were arrested in February 2024 after Rochester police responded to a report of a shooting in the parking lot at the Crossroads Shopping Center in Rochester. Ornelas was shot to death during what investigators say started as a parking dispute.

The criminal complaints against the two brothers say they claimed the shooting was an act of self-defense, but the victim died from a gunshot wound to the back of his head. Isaac Gutierrez was accused of being the shooter and was convicted of second-degree murder. He is now serving a five-year prison sentence, far below the 10- to 15-year term recommended by state sentencing guidelines.

Gutierrez Ojeda was accused of participating in the fight that led to the shooting, and the criminal case indicates he falsely claimed he was the shooter.

He has been given a stayed 75-month prison sentence and placed on probation for five years. Gutierrez Ojeda has also been ordered to serve a three-month jail term, with credit for 13 days already served.

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