Man gets 15 years to life in prison for role in fatal Anaheim stabbing

SANTA ANA — A 34-year-old man was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years to life in prison for his role in the fatal stabbing in Anaheim of a Los Angeles man who was dating his best friend’s ex-girlfriend and mother of their two daughters.

Adan Zapot-Leyva pleaded guilty July 31 to one count of second-degree murder. Orange County Superior Court Judge Robert Knox gave Zapot-Leyva credit for 2,126 days in custody.

Zapot-Leyva also pleaded guilty to attacking another inmate while in custody in the jail on June 20, 2021, and was sentenced to three years behind bars to run concurrently with the murder sentence.

Co-defendant Humberto Rodriguez-Martinez remains a fugitive.

Zapot-Leyva’s attorney, Ernest Eady, said the two grew up together in Mexico. Zapot-Leyva did not think the plan was to kill the victim, 32-year-old Daniel Reyes on Oct. 18, 2017, Eady said.

Zapot-Leyva figured they would rough up Reyes, Eady said.

“There was no evidence that he knew (Rodriguez-Martinez) had a knife on him,” Eady said.

Police were called to Santa Ana and Helena streets in Anaheim regarding a fight in the intersection. When they arrived they saw the stabbed victim and pronounced him dead at the scene, police said.

Investigators believe Rodriguez-Martinez was envious that Reyes was dating Rodriguez-Martinez’s ex-girlfriend, police said. According to testimony in the preliminary hearing of Zapot-Leyva, his best friend Rodriguez-Martinez had two daughters with his ex-girlfriend, who started dating Reyes a few months after her break up with Rodriguez-Martinez.

Adan Zapot-Leyva was of accused of waiting with his friend, Rodriguez-Martinez, for Reyes when he left his girlfriend’s home in Anaheim, police said.

In the plea agreement, Zapot-Leyva admitted that he and his friend watched Rodriguez-Martinez’s ex-girlfriend’s home for several hours knowing Reyes was inside and “romantically involved” with the ex-girlfriend.

The ex-girlfriend called Zapot-Leyva to see where Rodriguez-Martinez was and Zapot-Leyva told her they had left the area hours ago, which was a “deliberate trick,” according to the plea agreement.

The two wanted to fool Reyes into thinking it was safe to leave and go home, according to the plea deal.

They chased Reyes when he emerged from the residence and attacked him, according to the court document. As they were beating him, Rodriguez-Martinez pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim 10 times, according to the plea deal.

Reyes pleaded for his life, telling them, “Please don’t… I have children,” according to the plea agreement.

Source: Orange County Register