Two brothers were found guilty of killing a man by beating him to death on his wedding night.
On February 9, a San Bernardino jury found Rony Castaneda, 31, and his younger brother Josue Castaneda, 22, guilty of second-degree murder for the brutal killing of 30-year-old Joe Melgoza on his wedding day, December 14, 2019.
The brothers were also convicted of assault with a deadly weapon for injuring the bride’s brother Juan Bustamonte.
According to the authorities, on that fateful day, Melgoza got married, and the wedding reception was held at a family member’s home. The Castaneda brothers had no link to the family or the party, but they lived near the property, so they probably heard the festivities and decided to join in.
The brothers crashed the wedding reception, which unfortunately ended in a fatality in the early morning of December 15, 2019.
The San Bernardino County District Attorney’s office said the brothers were seen dancing and socializing all night at the party. They left the wedding reception but returned afterward, but unknown to the victim and family members, they were armed with baseball bats.
They stood on a trail behind the home and started making antagonizing statements to the groom, daring him to jump over the fence.
Melgoza and a few family members jumped over the fence, but the brothers immediately launched an attack, beating them up with bats. One of the family members took a bat from the brothers, who fled to another house, where Melgoza followed unarmed.
Officers from the Chino Police Department responded to the reception and found an injured family member. They then found Melgoza dead in the yard where the Castaneda brothers had fled.
Before the police came, both brothers were seen fleeing with a bat that was never found.
The medical examiner ruled Melgoza’s cause of death as blunt force trauma.
Police arrested both brothers shortly after, but Josue claimed he was never at the reception. However, the police found a picture of him and one of the wedding guests in his front pocket. Videos posted on Snapchat also confirmed that the brothers were at the reception.
The brothers will be sentenced on March 13.
Melgoza was survived by his new wife and a daughter.
