Murder Charges Filed in South County Homicide
District Attorney Tim Ward has announced criminal charges against Jacob Ramirez Aguilar, age 22, for a south county shooting that took the life of an adult male victim.
It is alleged that just after midnight on September 27, 2026, in Richgrove, Aguilar shot and killed the victim after a brief verbal altercation. After investigation, law enforcement took Aguilar into custody on October 13, 2026, in Delano.
Aguilar is charged with first-degree murder with the special circumstance that the crime was committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang. Additional special allegations include personal discharge of a firearm, the possession of numerous strike convictions, and that his conduct was violent. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
As reported, Aguilar possesses a prior juvenile murder conviction. In December 2020, Aguilar, age 16 at the time, was involved in the shooting of a Wuakena convenience store owner during a robbery. Aguilar was not the shooter. Due to his age, Proposition 57 prevented prosecutors from directly filing adult murder charges. Instead, the law required prosecutors to initiate a judicial hearing to transfer Aguilar to adult court. During that 2022 transfer hearing, Aguilar pleaded to gang murder and robbery charges and was sentenced by the court to the maximum juvenile term of 7 years in custody.
Senate Bill 92 (2021) provides that juvenile offenders be held locally. In addition, the law states that the court shall hold progress hearings and may modify a juvenile’s sentence (Welfare and Institutions code 875(b)(1)) based on positive behaviors and rehabilitation. Aguilar was permitted sentence modification by the court and was released from juvenile custody in May 2026.
Aguilar pleaded not guilty at this afternoon’s arraignment. He is being held on no bail. A preliminary hearing conference is scheduled for October 23, 2026, in Tulare County Superior Court.
Media inquiries can be directed to the Office of the District Attorney, County of Tulare Chief Deputy District Attorney Dave Alavezos (559) 636-5494