OAKLAND — Two men have been sentenced to 14 and eight years in state prison for their roles in a 2022 quadruple shooting in Berkeley, which came at the end of a night of pub hopping.
Andy Gutierrez-Rebollo, 27, of Oakland, received the harsher term after pleading no contest to voluntary manslaughter in Oct. 8, 2022 killing of 29-year-old religious student Isamaeli “Eli” Mata’afa. His co-defendant, Michael Monrroy-Ramos, 26, of Union City, pleaded no contest to assault with a deadly weapon.
The sentences weren’t finalized until after both men heard from Mata’afa’s sister in a Feb. 5 court hearing.
“Since the loss of our dearest brother Eli, our family hasn’t been the same ever since,” Tapu Mata’afa said in court. “He was the wisest. He was so smart and he had his whole life ahead of him, but unfortunately he was taken away at such a young age.”
Their father has “completely shut down” since the homicide and their mother visits her son in the cemetery every week, Mata’afa added.
Judge Rozlynn Silvaggio thanked Mata’afa “for your bravery”
“It’s hard from my — from this place to hear about this pain,” the judge said. “I think any of us can stand in the shoes of your family and the tremendous loss.”
Gutierrez-Rebollo’s lawyer said he plans to write a note to the family, which will go to the Alameda County District Attorney’s office first, for review.
At the time of the shooting, prosecutors say Eli Mata’afa and three of his cousins, all men in their 20s, had just finished playing pool at a local bar and were headed home when they bumped into Gutierrez-Rebollo and Monrroy-Ramos outside on the 2300 block of Telegraph Avenue. The two men were arguing about something, and Monrroy-Ramos would later tell police he believed they did something racist, so a confrontation ensued.
After brief fisticuffs, the cousins were leaving when both men fired shots at them, authorities said.
All four victims were hit at least once. Mata’afa was killed by a gunshot wound to his back, and prosecutors conceded they didn’t know who fired the deadly shot. Another of the victims spent a month in the hospital with two gunshot wounds. Another was struck in the arm, and the fourth received a gunshot wound to his testicles, according to testimony at the preliminary hearing.
Monrroy-Ramos’ sister, Jessyca Monrroy, still faces charges illegal gun possession charges stemming from a raid on her Union City home. She is due in court on April 2. A fourth defendant, Marianna Jesusetta Romero, was also originally charged with accessory. But in 2024, a judge kicked tossed that case, siding with a defense motion that called the prosecution theory “wild speculation,” court records show.
Monrroy-Ramos was transferred to state prison on Feb. 26, and Gutierrez-Rebollo joined him on March 19, records show.