Corona movie theater shooting: Closing arguments begin for accused killer

Closing arguments scheduled in movie theater shooting

Closing arguments are set to begin for Joseph Jimenez, accused of killing Rylee Goodrich and Anthony Bajaras. The defense is seeking commitment to a mental health facility.

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. - Closing arguments begun Tuesday for Joseph Jimenez, the man accused of killing two teens inside a Corona movie theater in July 2021.

The victims, 18-year-old Rylee Goodrich and 19-year-old Anthony Barajas, and Jimenez, were three of the six people who were inside the cinema during a showing of "The Forever Purge," during the attack, according to the Corona Police Department. The horror film centers around lawless murders. However, authorities do not believe the violence in the film was related to the shootings.

Jimenez has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity and said he suffers from schizophrenia and heard voices, which led him on the shooting rampage.

The prosecution is seeking life in prison without the possibility of parole, while the defense is seeking commitment to a mental health facility for an undetermined length of time.

It’s a bench trial, so a judge, not a jury, will decide Jimenez’s fate.

MOVIE THEATER SHOOTING

On July 26, 2021 around 11:45 a.m., Corona PD received a 911 call for service from the Regal Edwards Theater at the Crossings Shopping Center. Once at the theater, arriving officers discovered two victims suffering from gunshot wounds inside the cinema near their seats.

Cpl. Kouroubacalis with Corona PD said detectives are unable to use surveillance footage for the investigation because no cameras were recording inside the theater at the time of the shooting.

Officials said 18-year-old Rylee Goodrich was pronounced dead at the scene while 19-year-old Anthony Barajas was rushed to a local trauma center where he died days later.

RELATED:

THE ARREST OF JOSEPH JIMENEZ

Corona PD detectives issued a search warrant at a home in the El Cerrito neighborhood located near the 15 Freeway and East Ontario Avenue the night of July 27. Investigators were led to the suspect’s home after interviewing witnesses and an anonymous tip.

The Riverside County Gang Impact Team (GIT) was part of the search team. However, the suspect was not a registered gang member, Cpl. Tobias Kouroubacalis said.

While at the home, authorities discovered a handgun and other evidence that connected to the shooting. Cpl. Kouroubacalis said during a press conference that the shell casings found at the theater matched the caliber of the weapon.

Jimenez, 20, was subsequently arrested and taken into custody.

He was booked into the Riverside Presley Detention Center on charges of murder, robbery with a gun and attempted murder on a $2,000,000 bail. He then faced two murder charges after Barajas, who initially survived the shooting, passed away at a local trauma center.

He pleaded not guilty to all charges in Sept. 2021.

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE VICTIMS

Rylee Goodrich was going into her sophomore year at Grand Canyon University on a full scholarship to study marketing.

She was a graduate of Corona High School "but she wanted to go into criminal justice and had been working with me this summer in my Private Investigator job," her grieving dad Dave Goodrich said.

FOX 11 (FOX 11)

In an interview with FOX 11, her father questioned why there were no metal detectors at the theater. He said the two were on their first date and that Barajas was "a boy her dad actually approved of."

Anthony Barajas. (FOX 11)

Anthony Barajas, known as @itsanthonymichael on social media, had a large following, including nearly 930,000 followers on TikTok.

While the suspect and the victims are close in age, Corona PD investigators do not believe the victims and the suspect knew one another before the shooting. Officials also do not believe Barajas' social media fame played a role in the attack.