A state appeals court panel Friday ordered a new sentencing hearing for a Pacoima man convicted of stabbing his ex-girlfriend’s mother, 11-month-old sister and aunt at their Panorama City home and then leading police on a chase that ended with a four-hour standoff in Glendale.
The three-justice panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal agreed with the defense’s contention that Jorge Gomez should have been sentenced to seven years to life instead of 15 years to life for each of his four convictions for attempted murder.
Gomez stabbed his ex-girlfriend’s mother seven times and 11-month-old sister four times in the Dec. 18, 2016, attack. He also lunged toward his 21-year-old ex-girlfriend’s 3-year-old sister, who was shielded from injury by an aunt, who suffered six stab wounds and facial fractures, according to Deputy District Attorney Ani Bailey.
Gomez was also charged with attempted murder involving the 3-year-old girl.
His former girlfriend — who was at her father’s house at the time — testified that Gomez sent her a social media message stating that he was going to ruin her life because she had ruined his and that “I did something that you will remember me by,” and also sent her a picture of his bloody hands, according to the appellate court panel’s 56-page ruling.
Gomez fled from the house, led police on a high-speed pursuit that resulted in a crash in Glendale and then held police at bay for about four hours before being arrested.
Along with the attempted murder charges, he was convicted of four counts of assault with a deadly weapon involving a knife and one felony count each of fleeing a pursuing peace officer’s motor vehicle while driving recklessly and dissuading a witness by force or threat.
The appellate court panel upheld his conviction on those charges, but reversed Gomez’s conviction on a seventh count — a misdemeanor charge of hit-and-run driving resulting in property damage while he was fleeing from police. The appellate court justices noted in their opinion that he had stipulated to the facts charged without waiving his constitutional trial rights involving that count.
He was sentenced in November 2018 to 70 years to life in state prison.
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