A 22-year-old man previously convicted in a juvenile murder case has been charged with killing another man in Richgrove, just four months after his release from custody, the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.

Jacob Ramirez Aguilar is accused of shooting and killing an adult male victim shortly after midnight Sept. 27 following a brief verbal altercation, according to District Attorney Tim Ward.

Following an investigation, law enforcement arrested Aguilar on Tuesday in Delano.

Aguilar is charged with first-degree murder with a special circumstance allegation that the killing was committed for the benefit of a criminal street gang.

Additional allegations include personally discharging a firearm, having numerous prior strike convictions, and engaging in violent conduct.

If convicted, Aguilar faces life in prison.

Previous Murder Conviction at Age 16

According to prosecutors, Aguilar has a previous juvenile murder conviction stemming from a December 2020 robbery at a convenience store in Wuakena.

Aguilar, who was 16 at the time, was involved in the incident in which the store owner was shot and killed. Prosecutors said Aguilar was not the shooter.

Because of his age, Proposition 57 prevented prosecutors from directly filing adult murder charges. Instead, prosecutors were required to seek a judicial hearing to transfer the case to adult court.

During that transfer hearing in 2022, Aguilar pleaded to gang murder and robbery charges and was sentenced to the maximum juvenile custody term of seven years.

However, state laws governing juvenile sentencing allowed his term to be modified.

Senate Bill 92, passed in 2021, requires juvenile offenders to be held locally. The law also allows courts to conduct progress hearings and modify sentences based on positive behavior and rehabilitation.

Aguilar was granted a sentence modification by the court and released from juvenile custody in May 2026.

Four months later, prosecutors allege, he committed the Richgrove killing.

Aguilar Pleads Not Guilty

Aguilar pleaded not guilty during his arraignment Thursday afternoon in Tulare County Superior Court.

He remains in custody without bail.

A preliminary hearing conference is scheduled for Oct. 23.

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