Two get 16 years for 2019 fatal shooting during Oakland marijuana robbery

OAKLAND — Two men have received the exact same prison term of 16 years for involvement in a 2019 robbery and shooting that killed a 25-year-old man.

Jose Antonio Alvarez, 25, and Omar Rojo, 25, both entered no contest pleas to voluntary manslaughter and were formally sentenced in late October. They were originally charged with murder and robbery in the death of 25-year-old Jaime Valdovinos.

Police said at the time that Rojo and Alvarez arranged to rob Valdovinos and another man of “a large amount of marijuana” after setting up a cannabis deal. The four men met on the 3000 block of East Ninth Street in Oakland on Sept. 26, 2019.

Police reports allege both Rojo and Alvarez fired guns during the course of the setup. The shooting happened when the victims were attempting to get the marijuana back, according to Oakland police.

Investigators said in a court statement that Alvarez was identified as a suspect through “surveillance video and witnesses.”

The plea deal includes a court order for both defendants to stay away from the surviving victim and to not possess guns after their release from prison. Both men were originally charged with crimes that made them eligible for life without the possibility of parole.

Neither man has yet been transferred to state prison, according to public records.