Half-Brothers Convicted Of Murder In Deadly Riverside County Auto-Theft Spree

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Two felons who stole pickup trucks and gunned down one of the theft victims when he confronted them on a Mead Valley road were both convicted of first-degree murder and other charges last week.

A Riverside jury deliberated about five days before returning with unanimous verdicts late Wednesday, July 1, in the trial of Daniel Santos Ambriz, 33, and Juan Cristoval Ambriz Barra, 28, half-brothers from Perris. They killed 29-year-old Jose Eduardo Del Real of Mead Valley in 2024.

Along with murder, jurors found each defendant guilty of being a felon in possession of a loaded firearm and a special circumstance allegation of killing in the course of a robbery.

Ambriz was separately convicted of a sentence-enhancing allegation of intentionally discharging a gun in the commission of a felony, while Barra was acquitted of a kidnapping charge.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Timothy Hollenhorst scheduled a sentencing hearing for the pair on Aug. 21 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

Each defendant is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Jail.

According to an arrest warrant declaration filed by sheriff's detectives, on the morning of Aug. 12, 2024, the duo went on an auto theft spree, first targeting a property in Woodcrest, where they stole a GMC pickup before heading south into Mead Valley.

Shortly before 9 a.m., they passed a residence where Del Real's Ford F-450 pickup was idling in the driveway in the 19000 block of Summerwind Trail, near Dawes Street. The victim was speaking with the homeowner, identified only as "Juan," near the front of the house according to the affidavit.

The defendants stopped the stolen GMC, and Barra got out of the vehicle and jumped into Del Real's Ford, throwing it into gear and accelerating away.

The victim saw it happen, at which point he and Juan got into the latter's car and sped after the F-450, not realizing that Ambriz was tailing them in the GMC, according to the narrative.

A few blocks away, in the area of Cajalco Road and Haines Street, Barra stopped the Ford, enabling Del Real to get out of his friend's car and confront the defendant, opening the F-450's driver's side door and attempting to pull Barra out the vehicle, according to court papers.

When Juan got out of his car to assist Del Real, Ambriz intentionally rear-ended the man's sedan, leading to a physical confrontation between Juan and the defendant, the declaration stated.

When Ambriz ran back to the stolen GMC and grabbed a pistol, Juan retreated to safety. About that time, gunfire erupted next to Del Real's F-450. Court papers said he was shot multiple times by Barra and died at the scene. Juan was not hurt.

According to the declaration, Barra and Ambriz then both fled in the F-450, racing away southbound. They abandoned the stolen pickup minutes later on the north end of Perris.

The ensuing investigation culminated in detectives identifying Ambriz and Barra in connection with the deadly shooting. Arrest warrants were obtained and served on the pair less than a month later, and they were taken into custody without incident.

Ambriz's girlfriend, 23-year-old Samantha Insley of Perris, pleaded guilty in February to being an accessory after the fact and was sentenced to 16 months in state prison.

She had a prior conviction for carjacking, while court records also showed Barra had prior convictions for armed robbery and carrying a concealed weapon, and Ambriz had priors for receiving stolen property and resisting arrest.