After three days of deliberations, a jury has convicted a Lancaster man of first-degree murder in a cold case homicide of a Chula Vista businessman in 1999 through DNA left behind on a beanie in an attempted home-invasion robbery.
The same Chula Vista Superior Court jury also convicted Joe Mora, 35, of killing Sergio Morales during an attempted robbery and attempted burglary of his home at 6:50 p.m. on Paseo Burga on Nov. 28, 1999.
Deputy District Attorney Andrea Freshwater said July 9 that Mora faces a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Sentencing was set for Aug. 26 by Judge Francis Devaney.
The victim’s widow, Cecilia Morales, testified a woman came to their front door claiming to be a neighbor who said her cat was in their back yard. The couple didn’t recognize the woman, and didn’t let her inside. They checked the backyard with no cat to be found.
When they returned to the front door, Mora briefly pushed his way inside. Sergio Morales pushed him outside, but was shot several times to the head and torso. Mora fled without taking anything but police found the dark colored beanie which eventually tested positive for his DNA.
The defense argued that there were four other people linked to the beanie. Freshwater told jurors Mora was “the major contributor” of DNA on the beanie. A match was discovered in 2009 after Mora was arrested for domestic violence in Lancaster.
Mora went to prison for the domestic violence case and appeared very shaken when authorities first asked him about the murder in 2012. He refused to answer any questions and later told someone he was asked about a home invasion robbery, although police did not mention that to him.
The jury convicted him on July 7 following a trial that began June 17. Mora remains in jail without bail.
