Grover Beach man charged with murder hit victim in head with rocks, DA’s Office says
A Grover Beach man was charged with murder Wednesday for what San Luis Obispo County’s district attorney called a “vicious beating” at a strip mall.
Nicholas Sage Coronado-Watermen, 25, was formally charged by the county District Attorney’s Office with one count of murder for the death of 37-year-old Andres Martinez, also of Grover Beach.
The attack allegedly took place early Monday morning in a strip mall parking lot near the corner of Grand Avenue and Oak Park Boulevard in Grover Beach. Martinez died as a result of blunt force trauma, according to Grover Beach Police Chief John Peters.
Coronado-Watermen and Martinez reportedly knew each other, Peters said.
“This shocking murder was inflicted by vicious beating, kicking, and using rocks to repeatedly hit the victim’s head,” county District Attorney Dan Dow said in a text message Wednesday.
As of early Thursday afternoon, Coronado-Watermen had yet to formally enter a plea as the court was working to appoint a public defender to represent him.
If convicted of first-degree murder, the Grover Beach resident will face a minimum sentence of 25 years-to-life in state prison.
This story was originally published March 25, 2020 at 5:11 PM.
