> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Manslaughter convict set free - URL: https://www.smdp.com/manslaughter-convict-set-free/ - Published: 2005-10-05T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T07:51:11.000Z - Author: Ryan Hyatt - Tags: Crime, Santa Monica Airport, #archive-import *DA argued final shots were an act of murder* AIRPORT COURTHOUSE — The Santa Monica bar owner convicted of voluntary manslaughter after he fatally shot a patron more than 20 years ago will be a free man this week. Antonio Pedraza had been accused of the first-degree murder of Javier Garcia, 25, on June 21, 1984\. Garcia was shot multiple times in front of the Jalisco Cafe, a now-defunct bar once located at 1811 Olympic Blvd. Had he been convicted of murder, Pedraza would have faced the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison. A jury in August decided Pedraza was wasn’t guilty of murder, but rather voluntary manslaughter, a crime that carries a maximum prison sentence of 11 years. Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner sentenced Pedraza on Sept. 29 to the low end of the allowed sentence — three years in prison for the manslaughter conviction. However, Pedraza has been credited for spending 1,230 days in prison while awaiting his trial. As a result, Pedraza, 58, will be released from the Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles on Thursday. He will be required to pay a total of $245 in restitution fees and will be on parole. Mojgan Aghai, Pedraza’s public defender, said the case was a classic example of a person exercising the right to self defense. Larry Droeger, the deputy district attorney assigned to the case, didn’t comment. Sandi Gibbons, D.A. spokeswoman, said her office prosecuted on the grounds that it felt it had a case, but added that the jury makes the final decision. Pedraza was never questioned by police at the time of the shooting. He fled the scene and abandoned his bar, wife and three kids. He was on the lam for 19 years before being arrested in Los Angeles in July of 2003 on drug charges. He allegedly sold narcotics out of a bar parking lot where he worked, according to police. Shortly after the shooting, police found Pedraza’s tan Ford pick-up truck abandoned in Santa Monica. According to his testimony, Pedraza went to Mexico. He returned to the United States 10 years later and lived here under a different name until his arrest. The fatal shooting occurred late at night, after an intoxicated Garcia was kicked out of the bar for throwing beer bottles on the floor, according to witnesses and police. Pedraza said it was common for customers to bring guns and shoot them inside and outside of his bar. On the night of the shoot-out with Garcia, Pedraza was without a security guard because his regular guard had been shot at the bar in an unrelated incident a few weeks before. For protection, Pedraza was wearing a bullet-proof vest and was armed with a can of mace and a.38 semi-automatic pistol tucked in his waist. Garcia and his brother, Ramon, entered the bar and were served. Garcia, who appeared angry, took his beer to the pool table and proceeded to smash his and other customers’ beer bottles against the floor, Pedraza testified. Pedraza asked Garcia to leave, calling him a huero, which is a slang word for “blondie” or “light-skinned.” Garcia was Hispanic. A struggle ensued. Pedraza maced Garcia and escorted him out of the bar. Garcia threatened Pedraza. He returned near the entrance of the bar a few minutes afterward and pointed a gun at Pedraza, who he could see through the doorway. Pedraza walked toward the back door of the bar. He heard a revving car take off and thought Garcia had left, he testified. Pedraza walked along the side of the building toward the front of the bar. Pedraza took a step on the sidewalk and spotted Garcia, who was near a tree on the opposite side of the bar’s facade. Pedraza testified that he warned Garcia that he did-n’t want to kill him and that he should go home. Garcia proceeded to fire, charging at Pedraza. Pedraza took a bullet to the chest, which was protected by his vest. Pedraza took cover behind the corner of the building, while Garcia was exposed on the sidewalk. They fired at each other repeatedly. Garcia fell to his knees, and Pedraza continued shooting until Garcia fell face first in the street. Pedraza walked up to Garcia and shot three more rounds in the back of his head. During the trial, Droeger argued the final shots proved the case was an act of murder. He noted that Pedraza failed to lock the front door of the bar when Garcia first pointed the gun at him. Pedraza also failed to notify police once he felt threatened Garcia might kill him. Pedraza said he acted the way he did because he was fearful for his life and of leaving his children orphaned. Family members attended his trial. *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 5, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/100505.pdf?ref=smdp.com)