Two brothers who crashed a wedding in 2019 and beat the groom to death have finally been found guilty of second-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon on another attendee. Police have stated that the brothers did not know the groom.
Two brothers crash a wedding and incite a brawl, murdering groom
On December 14, 2019, Rony and Josue Castaneda heard festivities occurring nearby in a backyard in Chino, California. A wedding reception for Joe Melgoza and his bride was being held at the home of a family member.
As the hour moved past midnight into the wee hours of December 15, the two Castaneda brothers decided to crash the party. They danced with some of the guests and even took pictures with some of the women in attendance, People reports.
“The brothers left the party, but through a trail behind the home, later returned. Then they began taunting the groom, Joe Melgoza, telling him to jump the fence to the other side,” according to the District Attorney’s Office.
“Once Melgoza and his family jumped the fence, the brothers began hitting them all with bats and fists,” a release from the DA stated. “A family member was able to pull a bat from one of the Castaneda brothers who ran into an unrelated residence. They were followed by Melgoza, who ran into the yard unarmed. A few minutes later the Castaneda brothers were seen jumping the fence out of the unrelated residence with a single bat, which was never found.”
The Chino Police Department was called, initially arriving at the scene in response to a family member who hit been injured. Around 2:20 AM, officers discovered Melgoza’s body in the same yard the Castaneda brothers had fled to. Melgoza was rushed to Chino Valley Medical Center, where he died from his injuries. Authorities say Melgoza had died “within minutes” of the assault from blunt force trauma to the head.
Melgoza left behind his wife, Esther Bustamante Melgoza, as well as a daughter who was 11 years old at the time, the Daily Mail Reported.
Two Brothers deny attending wedding, but photo evidence proves otherwise
Photos posted on Snapchat played a role in helping authorities find Castaneda brothers. Josue denied attending the reception. However, the photos they snapped with the female guests would be their undoing. A photo booth image of Rony and his brother posing with a female guest at the reception found in Josue’s front pocket after his arrest gave authorities solid evidence that the two crashed the reception.
Castaneda brothers finally face justice
On February 9, Rony Castaneda, 31, and Josue Castaneda, 22, were convicted of second-degree murder by a jury for the beating death of Joe Melgoza, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office announced in a press release, USA Today reported. In addition, the brothers were also found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon for the injuries they caused to Juan Bustamante, the brother of Melgoza’s bride, Esther Bustamante, the DA said.
The Castaneda brothers are scheduled for sentencing on March 14.
