Crime & Safety
Jury Selection Underway For RivCo Woman Accused In Boyfriend's Brutal Slaying
It's the first day of jury selection for the trial of a San Jacinto woman accused of the premeditated attack against her boyfriend in 2021.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Jury selection got underway on Wednesday for the trial of a 43-year-old woman accused of fatally stabbing her boyfriend in a premeditated attack in San Jacinto.
Wynette Clara Nunez of San Jacinto was charged with first-degree murder in 2021 following a Riverside County Sheriff's Department investigation into the slaying of 27-year-old Mauro Villiasenor, also of San Jacinto.
Along with murder, Nunez is additionally charged with a sentence- enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon -- a knife -- in the commission of a felony.
Pretrial motions wrapped up Tuesday, and on Wednesday morning Superior Court Judge Charles Koosed began summoning panels of prospective jurors to the Riverside Hall of Justice for screening as to their availability and qualifications.
It was unknown whether opening statements would begin this week. Nunez is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Smith Correctional Facility.
According to sheriff's Sgt. Ben Ramirez, at 10 p.m. on July 4, 2021, Nunez and Villiasenor were involved in an unspecified dispute at his residence in the 100 block of Boxelder Way, near Elderberry Street.
Exact details were not provided at the time, but Ramirez alleged that following the squabble, the defendant grabbed a knife and stabbed the victim.
Witnesses called 911, and patrol deputies reached the location a few minutes later, Ramirez said. He said that when they tried the front door it was locked, but they could hear "sounds of distress," prompting them to forcibly enter the residence.
"Deputies found the male victim with significant injuries," the sergeant said.
Paramedics arrived soon afterward and attempted life-saving measures, but Villiasenor died at the scene.
The sheriff's spokesman said Nunez was detained at the property and questioned by homicide detectives until the predawn hours the next day, at which point she was arrested and booked into jail.
She has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.
