Two men have been convicted in separate trials and face life sentences without the possibility of parole in the killing of a man during an alleged marijuana robbery in Kern County, prosecutors said.

A Kern County jury found Gabriel Prieto guilty on Monday of first-degree murder in the death of Emanuel Gonzalez, who was killed July 29, 2024, at Georgetown and Field Street in Lamont, according to the Kern County District Attorney’s Office.

On Friday, a separate jury convicted Romieo Narvaez of the same charge in the same killing. Both juries also found true the special circumstance of murder during the commission of a robbery.

The case was prosecuted by Chief Deputy District Attorney Eric Smith.

Deputies with the Kern County Sheriff’s Office responded July 29, 2024, to a report in Lamont of a driver pinned inside a vehicle after a crash into a semi-truck. Officers found Gonzalez in the driver’s seat with blood on his face and a wound to his forehead, prosecutors said.

Investigators later found cannabis THC vape pen boxes and a plastic bag containing marijuana in the vehicle, according to prosecutors. They also reviewed the victim’s phone records and found communications with a Snapchat account created by Prieto the night of the killing, arranging a meeting to sell marijuana.

Surveillance video showed Narvaez with his face covered walking with Prieto. Prosecutors said Prieto approached Gonzalez’s vehicle, shot him, and took marijuana from the car, with Narvaez acting as an accomplice.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 22 and Aug. 6.

—

Connect with Anthony W. Haddad on social media. Got a tip? Send an email.