SLO County man gets maximum sentence for shooting girlfriend in the neck with a rifle
San Miguel resident Jim Pinedo will serve up to life in prison for shooting his girlfriend in the neck with a .22-caliber rifle.
In November 2018, a San Luis Obispo County jury found Pinedo, 38, guilty of seven felony counts, including violations of attempted murder, assault with a firearm, inflicting corporal injury to an intimate partner and threatening and dissuading a witness, according to a news release from the District Attorney’s Office.
The jury also found that Pinedo personally discharged a gun and inflicted great bodily injury, the release said.
Pinedo was sentenced Wednesday in San Luis Obispo Superior Court to 14 years, plus 25 years to life in prison, the release said.
The sentence, which is the maximum under the law, was imposed by Judge Jacqueline Duffy, according to the release.
“Today’s sentence is a significant victory for all victims of domestic violence,” District Attorney Dan Dow said in the release. “It tells other victims that the criminal justice system can step in and help them even when they are unable to help themselves.”
The charges stem from an incident in October 2017. A female victim, who Pinedo was dating at the time, arrived at Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton with a gunshot wound to her neck, according to the release.
While being treated at the hospital, the victim identified Pinedo as the individual who shot her, the release said.
The victim and Pinedo had been in a dating relationship for about 18 months at the time, with a history of domestic violence, according to the release.
Prior to the November 2018 jury trial, the victim changed her statement about the shooting to favor Pinedo and ultimately refused to testify at the trial.
She told The Tribune that Pinedo threatened to leave her after he caught her injecting methamphetamine. She said she picked up Pinedo’s rifle and threatened to shoot herself, and the gun went off as the two struggled over the weapon.
According to Tribune archives, deputy district attorney Ashley Cervera said the victim repeatedly replied “I don’t remember” or “I lied” while answering questions from deputy district attorney Megan Baltierra.
A therapist at the trial explained to jurors why battered victims often return to or defend their abusers, The Tribune reported then.
“Intimate partner violence is a process,” Richard Ferry, a marriage and family therapist, testified during the trial. “Bonding with the abuser is a survival strategy.”
According to previous Tribune coverage, while guilty verdicts for Pinedo were read at the trial, the victim sat quietly sobbing in the front row, her head in her hands.
This story was originally published July 24, 2019 at 2:05 PM.