Rosa Baca, a 55-year-old woman from California, has been found guilty of first-degree murder for the 2018 killing of her 38-year-old boyfriend, Jose Magana. It was ruled that Baca had committed the murder with the special circumstances of torturing Magana, and with the use of a deadly weapon.
The Porterville Police Department was called to a trailer in the 200 block of South Indiana Street at around 8:15 a.m. on December 17, 2018 in response to a report of an unresponsive adult male victim who had been assaulted. When officers arrived, they found Baca who explained that she and Magana had a heated argument the night before which led to him leaving the house. She then said that he returned to the trailer early in the morning with severe injuries, but without a shirt or shoes. Baca claimed he had been attacked by someone else, however, police noted that the victim’s feet were clean and there was no sign of a struggle or blood.
Emergency Medical Services personnel took Magana to a nearby trauma center in an ambulance, stating that he had received major injuries all over his body. He was quickly put on life support at the center and unfortunately passed away the following day.
Investigators revealed that his wounds showed that he had been assaulted with a blunt object, thus sending detectives to the trailer where Baca and Magna lived. A search warrant was then issued for the trailer and the evidence collected appeared to disprove Baca’s statement, highlighting many inconsistencies. After being questioned, Baca admitted to kicking the victim, beating him with a hammer, and disposing of their clothes in a dumpster.
Law enforcement declared that Magna was probably asleep at the time of the attack and Baca waited for several hours after the assault before calling for medical assistance. Baca is set to appear in court on July 31 for her sentencing hearing where she could be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.