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Charges Dismissed Against Man Who Faced 2 Counts Of Murder
ByBay City News Service
June 26, 2018
The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office today dismissed all charges against a three-time felon who was charged with two counts of murder and the special circumstance of committing multiple murders for the fatal shootings of two men in East Oakland last year.
Antonio Belvine Jr., 38, was arrested at his Stockton home on July 12, 2017, for the shooting deaths of Jose Gamero, 27, and Pedro Gonzalez, 32, both of Oakland, in the 9500 block of Birch Street at 5:44 p.m. on June 11, 2017.
Gamero and Gonzalez were pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting.
In addition to the two murder counts and the special circumstance of committing multiple murders, Belvine was charged with assault with a semiautomatic firearm, shooting at an occupied motor vehicle and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Oakland police haven’t released a motive for the fatal shootings.
Officer Yun Zhou wrote in a probable cause statement last year that investigators determined that Belvine approached Gamero and Gonzalez while they were inside the truck and shot them multiple times and witnesses later identified him as the gunman.
But prosecutor David Stein told Alameda County Superior Court Judge James Cramer at a brief hearing today that he was moving to dismiss the charges against Belvine based on his review of the evidence in the case. Cramer granted the motion.
After the hearing, Belvine’s lawyer Todd Bequette said, “To have double murder charges dismissed is a source of tremendous relief to my client and his family.”
Bequette said Belvine “has steadfastly maintained his innocence” since he was arrested and charged.
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