Two brothers accused of stabbing a Vista man to death in broad daylight have pleaded not guilty.
Dionisio Figueroa and his older brother Carlos are charged with attacking a 39-year-old day laborer outside a Bonsall strip mall frequented by men who were looking for odd jobs.
Manuel Aguirre died of a stab wound after an argument with the brothers turned into a fight.
Investigators say Aguirre didn’t know his attackers, but family members who filled the courtroom for the arraignment, say differently.
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Selena Gonzalez is a cousin of Aguirre’s. She says the Figueroa brothers often tried to take money from day laborers rather than earn it on their own. “If they don’t get money from the guys, they just beat them up,” she said. Gonzalez claims her cousin was bothered by the men on several occasions and that recently he stood up for a young man who they were “harassing”. She believes they targeted Aguirre in retaliation.
“It wasn’t something that just happened, no they’re like guilty. They’re murderers. They know what they’re doing,” Gonzalez added.
Deputy San Diego County District Attorney Vincent Chen said he couldn’t confirm the validity of the family’s claims because the case is still under investigation.
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Aguirre’s two teenage daughters were in the courtroom for the arraignment. They told NBC7 they want justice for their father and want the public to know what happened to him.
His eldest daughter told us the girls and their father moved from Guatemala a year ago, hoping for a better life. Their mother and another sister are still in Guatemala. They have no idea how the family will survive now that the breadwinner is gone.
The Fernandez brothers are being held without bail in the Vista Jail. If convicted, they could get 25-years to life in prison.
