Corona movie theater shooting: Convicted gunman sentenced to life in prison
CORONA, Calif. - Joseph Jimenez Jr., the man convicted of fatally shooting 18-year-old Rylee Goodrich and 19-year-old Anthony Barajas inside a Corona movie theater in July 2021, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole by a judge Monday.
Jimenez claimed he was suffering from schizophrenia and heard voices that led to the deadly shooting. During the trial, a judge ruled he was sane. The prosecution sought life in prison without the possibility of parole, while the defense sought a commitment to a mental health facility for an undetermined length of time.
"I just want to express my gratitude to the court for imposing what I feel was a just sentence. I will say for the record that my son opposed the seeking of the death penalty in this case," said Patrick Goodrich, Rylee’s paternal grandfather, said outside the courthouse. "This is the result my family desired."
"I’m very happy part that this part is over," Anthony’s mother, Catherine Barajas said after the sentencing. "It’s time to close this chapter and focus on our son and to carry on his legacy. We’re going to do that by continuing to do small acts of kindness one at a time to make a difference in the world."
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Barajas’ family spoke to FOX 11’s Laura Diaz ahead of the sentencing to remember their son. They recalled him being dedicated to serving others and life and death, as Barajas was an organ donor. In addition, they have started a foundation to continue honoring his legacy.
"Obviously, this is the end of a really painful experience for the entire community," defense attorney Charles Kenyon said. "In reality, as the judge correctly pointed out, there are three families that lost somebody, and it’s really hard to really articulate how devastating this trial and this experience was for everybody."
Kenyon added he believes the shooting had been preventable had the mental health system held and kept Jimenez "because in the end, had that been done and addressed properly in the beginning, none of this would’ve happened."
Barajas, Goodrich, 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.
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It was a bench trial, so a judge, not a jury, decided 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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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Anthony Barajas. (FOX 11)
Anthony Barajas, known as @itsanthonymichael on social media, had a large following, including nearly 930,000 followers on TikTok.
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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.