A Simi Valley man has been sentenced to 39 years and 4 months to life in state prison for the murder of his father Alfredo Arroyo Sancen on Sept. 11, according to authorities.
Gerardo Arroyo Almanza, 37, pleaded guilty in August to second-degree murder and multiple counts of criminal threats in Ventura County Superior Court, according to a Ventura County District Attorney’s Office news release. Almanza also admitted to several special allegations, including that he had a prior strike and that he used a deadly weapon.
The charges stem from an April 6, 2024 attack, where several of Arroyo Almanza’s family members including Arroyo Sancen drove to his Simi home to check on his well-being, the DA’s office said.
Arroyo Almanza confronted his family outside
of his home with a knife and threatened to kill them, officials said. He stabbed his father several times after a chase.
A neighbor, who was a trained EMT, provided first aid to the father before an ambulance arrived to transport him to Los Robles Regional Medical Center, the release says. Arroyo Sancen later died at the hospital.
Officers with the Simi Valley Police Department found Arroyo Almanza hiding a block away from his home and arrested him.
Arroyo Almanza was determined incompetent to stand trial on March 6, 2025, but was deemed competent months later in October.
He is being held in Ventura County jail and his next Ventura County Superior Court hearing is Sept. 14, court and jail records show.
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This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Simi man sentenced to over 39 years to life for killing father
