A Mohave County Superior Court jury has convicted a Golden Valley man in the shooting death of a Kingman woman. The panel deliberated a little more than five hours Thursday before convicting Gerald Richardson, 57, of manslaughter.
There was no dispute that Richardson killed 31-year-old Jessica Orozco on October 27, 2018 but his attorney said he was acting in self defense and that the shooting was justified. Public Defender Robin Puchek said Richardson had a right to protect his property and his person when he fired at what he presumed to be a home intruder.
Orozco was delivering a child to the Richardson home in the 1100 block of South Concho Drive about midnight. Richardson told detectives he spotted a silhouette in the area of the doorway when he fired his revolver.
Puchek said Orozco didn’t call Richardson before arriving and that the defendant was not expecting the child to be returned that night. He said Richardson was sleeping in the living room and that he picked up a handgun from a nearby nightstand before he discharged the round.
Prosecutor James Schoppmann told the jury that the door was unlocked and that Orozco opened it slightly before turning to pull it closed when she heard barking dogs. The gunshot that pierced the door struck Orozco in the upper back, resulting in organ injuries that proved fatal.
“The defendant blindly shot her through his front door,” Schoppmann said. “The evidence will show that this is reckless.”
Schoppmann said Richardson faces a 7 to 10.5-year prison term when sentenced July 11.
