Oakland: Defendant pleads to 11 years in 2021 fatal shooting

OAKLAND — A 30-year-old man has agreed to serve 11 years in state prison for killing a man back in 2021, court records show.

Luis Rodriguez-Baires, 30, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the April 18, 2021 shooting death of Nathaniel Martinez. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dropped a murder charge against Rodriguez-Baires.

Rodriguez-Baires remains in Santa Rita Jail, pending formal sentencing. He will be transferred to prison after a judge hands down the sentence, which is expected to happen on Jan. 14, court records show.

At the preliminary hearing, a friend of Rodriguez-Baires testified under a grant of immunity that he and Rodriguez-Baires were driving around Oakland on the day of the homicide. They stopped on the 1700 block of 28th Avenue, and Rodriguez-Baires got out. The witness said he heard three to four shots and then saw Rodriguez-Baires return to their car with a gun in his hand.

Martinez, a suspected gang member who lived in Oakland, had been arguing with Rodriguez-Baires before the shooting, authorities said. The defense argued at the preliminary hearing that the homicide had been the result of a gun battle, but police say no other firearms were found at the scene.