Plea deal in fatal Christmas shooting of Newman cop that drew national headlines
Paulo Virgen Mendoza fatally shot Newman Police Cpl. Ronil Singh in the hour after Christmas 2018 because he didn’t want to go to jail that night for drunk driving and drug possession. Now he will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty on Thursday to Singh’s murder.
The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office originally had been seeking the death penalty against Mendoza but his plea, as part of an agreement, takes that off the table and instead will result in a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. He also waived his right to appeal.
“Based on the plea here you will never be released from prison,” Judge Ricardo Cordova told Mendoza through a court interpreter during the hearing Thursday in Stanislaus County Superior Court. “You will never see the light of day outside the prison walls based on this conviction.”
Singh’s wife Anamika Singh-Chand said during court she wanted Mendoza sentenced to death but because this is California, where no one has been executed since 2006, she agreed to the sentence of life without parole.
“I became a widow at the age of 31 with a 5-month-old infant who is now left without a father,” she said. “He was the foundation of my family. My life has changed, my financial status has changed, my self worth, self esteem, confidence, sense of security, hobbies and interests.”
Mendoza told a detective he shot Singh when he pulled him over on suspicion of drunk driving because he was scared, had marijuana in his car and didn’t want to go to jail. He said he was loading bullets into a magazine as Singh approached his vehicle during a traffic stop at Merced Street and Eucalyptus Avenue in Newman .
After a brief exchange with Mendoza, Singh radioed for backup and a Spanish-speaking officer to assist him. As he walked away from the vehicle Mendoza fired five shots, hitting Singh four times.
(Garth Stapley: Let’s remember Ronil Singh)
Singh returned fire twice but Mendoza drove off and wouldn’t be found for 55 hours, during which family and friends helped him conceal and dispose of evidence like the murder weapon, drove him to several locations in the Central Valley to hide and arranged for a human trafficker to get him to Mexico. He ultimately was arrested at the home of his aunt and uncle near Bakersfield.
Family members and co-workers of Singh attended the hearing Thursday afternoon. Also on hand was his K9 partner, Sam. The dog was retired from the department after the shooting and given to Singh’s family.
Law enforcement were socially distanced throughout the courtroom audience and in the jury box while Singh’s family sat together in a single row in the front. They cried and comforted each other as Mendoza read the facts of the case and entered his plea.
Several fellow police officers provided victim impact statements, talking about the impact Singh’s death had on the Newman department, which they characterized as a family.
“What we will never forget is the sound of the screaming coming from his wife Anamika when she learned of his passing,” Cpl. Edgar Lopez said. “Christmastime will never be the same for our department and the Singh family. That time of year brings back the terrible memories of that night.”
Singh-Chand said through tears that her husband was “simply murdered for doing his job for the oath he took to protect and serve.” She took the witness stand carrying the couple’s son, Aranau, who was only 5 months old when his father was killed. Aranau rested with his head on his mother’s shoulder through much of Thursday’s hearing, but became unsettled when his mother got up to speak. She handed off the little boy to relatives to try to calm him.
She talked about the night her husband died, and how she was awakened by the sound of his voice saying her name, then a knock at the door. Thinking it was Ronil, home early from his shift, she told her mother to answer the door.
“But instead I heard a voice and my mom asking is everything OK. And when I heard that voice my heart sank,” she said. “Ron had prepared me all my life for that day.”
She said she remembered the long drive to the hospital, getting out of the car and walking toward Newman Police Chief Randy Richardson.
“I remember asking him, ‘Is he OK?’ The chief told me, ‘I’m so sorry’.” Singh-Chand said, sobbing. “The next few minutes is a blur. I still don’t remember it.”
Addressing Mendoza, she said, ”I hope that the nightmare you have left me with stays with you seared in your brain just like it is on mine.”
Through an interpreter, Mendoza gave the court a rambling statement. He said he had found God while in jail, and said he believes Singh will be resurrected in a few years. But he did express remorse.
“God has forgiven me and I ask forgiveness from my entire heart from the family,” he said. “It was not my intention.”
Seven of Mendoza’s friends and relatives, including his wife, brothers, aunt and uncle, were arrested and charged federally with helping him try to escape.
Five of the seven people were convicted on charges related to aiding and abetting Mendoza, one was found not guilty of all charges and one was found guilty of misuse of a Social Security number.
All of those convicted , like Mendoza, were in the country illegally. Three have been deported after serving their sentence. The deportation of the other three, two of Mendoza’s brothers and a friend, was deferred so they could testify at his trial. Now that the case is over two of them will be deported and the third will be deported after serving his sentence, which is expected to be three years, said Chief Deputy District Attorney Jeff Mangar.
The case reignited debate over California’s sanctuary law that limits cooperation by local authorities with federal immigration agents. Trump used the slaying to bolster his argument for tighter immigration security amid a fight with congressional Democrats over funding for a border wall, the Associated Press reported.
This story was originally published November 5, 2020 at 4:08 PM with the headline "Plea deal in fatal Christmas shooting of Newman cop that drew national headlines."
