Santa Barbara person who pleaded responsible to murder, then bought married in identical courtroom, dies in San Quentin

SAN QUENTIN — Prison officers are investigating the death of a Santa Barbara man who was sentenced to dying right after pleading responsible to a gang-associated murder 16 many years in the past.

Joshua Wonder, 43, died just after becoming moved to a medical center from his San Quentin prison mobile, officials introduced Monday. A news release by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation tends to make no point out of a suspected bring about of demise. Wonder was pronounced lifeless all around 7 p.m. Sunday.

Miracle was sentenced to dying in February 2006, months immediately after he pleaded guilty to murdering Goleta resident Elias Raymond Silva in a 2004 stabbing demise. At the time of the murder, Wonder had an energetic arrest warrant for an attempted murder, authorities claimed at the time.

A California Supreme Court final decision claims Silva was lured to a Santa Barbara home and stabbed 48 situations. Authorities mentioned at the time Miracle was section of a Santa Barbara-primarily based subset of a substantial Southern California gang, as evidenced by a tattoo of the gang’s initials on the again of his head.

Miracle pleaded guilty to murder and assault in 2005 with no plea deal in position, and minutes afterwards received married to his longtime girlfriend in the very exact same courtroom, according to media reviews. Three months previously, he fired his lawyer who desired him to acquire the situation to demo rather.

In 2018, the point out Supreme Courtroom circumstance upheld the excellent court’s acceptance of Miracle’s guilty plea, however 1 justice dissented. At problem was whether or not a defendant could legally plead responsible to a opportunity death penalty situation devoid of an legal professional.

According to CDCR’s internet site, 28 individuals have died of COVID-19 in San Quentin considering the fact that the commencing of the pandemic. That quantity has not adjusted considering the fact that late 2020. The prison has claimed nine new favourable conditions in excess of the earlier 14 times.