LANCASTER –A security guard has pleaded no contest to his involvement in a fight in a Lancaster nightclub’s bathroom in 2013 that left a 49-year-old man dead.
Gabriel Fernandez, 42, pleaded no contest last week to voluntary manslaughter in connection with the death of Luciano Meza Juarez, according to court records.
Juarez, a Lancaster resident, died of blunt force head trauma at 1:19 a.m. Sept. 28, 2013, according to Lt. David Smith of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office.
Family members said previously that the 49-year-old grandfather died minutes after he was brutally beaten and robbed inside a bathroom at the Mango Tango nightclub. However, sheriff’s officials released little details on the incident, saying only that Juarez “was the victim of an assault at a local bar,” which was reported at 12:37 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013, in the 44200 block of Division Street in Lancaster.
A murder charge was filed against Fernandez last year, and the case was called for trial last month, court records show.
Court testimony during trial revealed that Fernandez, a security guard for an unrelated establishment, got into an altercation with Juarez inside the Mango Tango nightclub’s bathroom. The altercation led to a fight and the defendant punched the victim at least once, but nothing was stolen from the victim, according to court testimony.
Midway through the trial, Fernandez pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter, according to Ricardo Santiago of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. He is expected to be sentenced July 24 to six years in prison, Santiago said.
Fernandez remains jailed without bail.
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Desiree says
Regardless if he was sentenced to 6 years or 60 years, his life, when he comes out, will never be the same. Prison changes a person dramatically – I have seen this first hand. I have relatives who have done prison time and when they came out, they were sadly so jacked up. They ended up doing men in prison, some not by choice, and they turned the other way, liking men, and not women. Lucan, did 9 years, got out, and he is the one that raped prostitutes in the AV. He got life for that. Look his real name, Alfred Serna, if you don’t believe me. He went in on his first arrest for burglary at the age of 18, did 9 years, got out and that’s when he started brutally raping women in the AV. Luckily he got caught before he began his killing spree on women. No one in this situation wins – it’s a total loss on both ends. I hope when this man is released he grows up and stays away from any kind of alcohol and does something productive with his life – going to night clubs is a dead end. I hurt for both families and I pray that time heals.
fish scale says
Danny big Bird shopping mall killer
hot head always wanting to get down for the raza
Ill beat that big ass Bird down
Every one knows when he would drink he would fight every one knows that even you
lopez1 says
Haha only a hand full of ppl called him that. But like I been saying oppl talk a lot of [removed] online but in person like scared Lil [removed] hahaha!!
lopez1 says
first of all he was not working at the time that this happened and yes he is my boy and I do have his back cuz I know the person that he really is he just happens to have a lot of haters that like to talk behind his back second of all its not for me to discuss why he took a deal there is a lot of evidence that shows that he was not the one to blame. I honestly think that he would have won trial even his lawyer said he had a good chance of winning there was video evidence are you doing somewhat but since the court system is not always right his family suggested that he takes the deal he was willing to fight this to the end but at the end family is what counts the most.
mrs.p says
I miss u daddy n i will alwayz will n i will alwayz have u in my mind never will forget those happy memories that u gave me with ur beautiful smile n the things u thought me n i juz wanna thank u for those happy moments that u gave us i miss u mi chulo hermoso n i will alwayz miss u alot u will always be in heart n mind from ur daughter.
bad says
I use to love to fight and one day I got into it with a man that had a heart attack after I beat his [removed] in since that day I realize that all it takes is one wrong hit and you can kill someone and [removed] your life up ever since then I have always backed alway from arguments unless they go after me and put hands on me which i hope never happens.
But even if he goes to jail if he is truly a hothead that will end as soon as he gets to state the homies don’t play that.i like my big homies say every Dog has his day no matter how big or tuff you think you are
Sorry to the family that lost their family member keep him in your hearts and never forget him may God bless his family
Jr says
Ppl talking out there ass when they know nothing he’s doing 6yrs for a crime he didn’t commit
lol says
do u know for a fact he didnt do it do u know when u plead no contest is basically saying ur guilty he needs to die in prison
lopez1 says
Well we will see him back very soon and no not In 6 years!! dont wish deth on anyone because it will come back and bite you in the ass.
I agree that no one should lose their life over a bar fight but it was all an accident a fight that occurred between two drunk men . I’m sorry for the life that was lost but Gabriel is also a good man but has a lot of haters!!! If Gabriel was the one that would have lost his life people would be talking a whole different story about the man that did Lose his life.
it just so happens that when a person passes away everybody talks wonderful things about them but in real life all of you really know how he really was when he was drunk I mean no disrespect but no one is an angel even though you might think different.
and to end all of this what’s done is done nothing can be done now but move on and learn from this.
LG says
He took someone’s life and he didn’t do nothing plz don’t be stupid….obviously he killed the man he deserves many more year’s. Chano was a good man he didn’t mess with people…..the man that killed him didn’t called anybody to help chano so how you going to sit there and say he didn’t killed him….. I understand if it was an accident and he called for help but no this man decided to leave him there to die.
Chris says
I am really glad someone understands the FACTS of this incident. I do not know what really took place that night but like i said the suspect was held to answer so something had to point at him… I am so sorry to here about the loss a a man that should not have died in the hand of a person that was acting macho…
Chris says
I have worked with Gabriel in the past years and i must say i am very surprised this has not happen much sooner he has been out of control for many years.
lpz says
???? out of control or doing he’s job??? u know when are security u have 2 show attitude u don’t want ppl stepping on u any ways sigue hablando del ke t dio d comer …..
lopez1 says
out of control but you were always there asking him for work when there was no one else to call that’s when you would be called don’t hate on him cuz he can do the job better than you can. I worked with him for over 5 years yeah things always got out of control but it’s not because he wanted or provoked anybody.
was just stupid drunk people that don’t know how to act when they take a beer if they needed to be calm down that’s what I needed to be done too bad nobody will say any of this when he was out that goes to show that you are cowards so don’t talk if you don’t know what happened.
6 years sounds like a lot to all of you but you’d be surprised and how soon will be seeing him!!#!!
Chris says
I have worked in most of the Hispanic Night Clubs good ones, and some really bad ones, all in the Av Since 1992 and i have never been sent to court for for any type of assaults on a person and i have broke up fight and been in many fights well working. The number one key is you must know how to control the situation before it get out of control….. By the way you have no clue who i am…
lopez1 says
yeah but here you are talking about somebody that you work with and if you work with him its most likely that he gave you the job to do so don’t talk [removed] about somebody that gave you some work. you don’t know how things happened that night for you to be saying it was about time that this happened is not cool and same here you have no idea who I am but if there was a time where you worked with him I was most likely present at that time. so if you have something negative to say about him get at me.
Chris says
I can and will say this man worked for me in the past and he was far to aggressive as far as liability goes. It really makes no difference a crime was committed on that night and he was held to answer for HIS actions the way it should be. It never pays to be macho…….
Mrs. L says
@maria Leija. As soon as somone decides to consume alcohol & decides to get behind a vehicle they take on the responsibility of their actions. Please don’t ever sound so selfish again. Those that decide to drink alcohol & get behind the wheel of a car decide they are the only ones that matter when in fact they usually aren’t the lives they take. It’s other innocent victims that happen to be on the same road of a very selfish person.
MR. PERPLEXED says
HHHMMM.? Wait isn’t this the guy that used to be a security guard at the Swap Meet (oh I am sorry Mr. Ledford Palmdale Mall ) on 25th East & Palmdale Blvd? I was told he wasn’t a very friendly security guard kind of a hot head.? HHHHMMM?
lopez1 says
a fight at a nightclub while being drunk can happen to anybody so to all those people that are giving their comments that don’t really know what happened should keep it to yourself.
6 years for somebody that didn’t do anything is a lot if you tell me. people are quick to judge when something happens but only the two men that were in the bathroom that night know what really happened if you ask me it was all a accident of two people that were fighting while being drunk.
Gabriel Fernandes was also a father a grandfather and a real good friend to many people.
keep your head up my boy we’ll see you real soon!!!. Lopez family and many more miss you but we will see you again real soon.
yabba says
I don’t understand why he was charged? 6 years will go by quick. Sorry for the two families involved.
kelly says
he didn’t do nothing? he took someones life yea that’s doing something and he should get a longer sentence not only six years that way he will have time to think of what he did
teresa says
I agree I’ve worked with them
for about 5 years and some of the
Securities were talking they’re job to serious
Remember your a security not a cop
Your their to help if in incident
Is happening to remove the person from
The place and call the police if needed not to take
Action in your own hands i believe hep should
Serve life in prison he was a family man
A son,a Brother,a father,a grandfather
And his only serving 6years when someone else’s life is gone forever
Justice has to be done correctly. ..
lopez1 says
Nope he will be out soon!!! it’s obvious that if he got a six year sentence they couldn’t prove that he did that if he would have been guilty of it he would have been doing much longer than 6 years think about it if you don’t know the situation keep your comments to yourself especially the stupid ones.
funny that now that he is not here a lot of people decide to say that he was not a good guy but when he was here everybody be kissing his ass to get a job funny how people are such cowards.
maria Leija says
wow ! he took somebody’s grandfather, father , brother and he is expecting to get six years !!!
a drunk driver takes a life involuntarily and get life in jail .
Brenda says
He didn’t do it that’s why!
Well.... says
Well first to have a trial a jury decided there was sufficient evidence to try him and by pleading he just agreed he did it. Smh @ 42 & 49 in a club to begin with