Naman Shrestha
The quaint neighborhood of Sweet Bay Drive in California was painted red in May 2018 when a neighborly dispute turned deadly for one and consequential for the other. The death of Raul Carbajal over a loud noise dispute unsettled the whole community and caused his loved ones immense grief. The entire case, including the origin of the beef between the two neighbors, is covered in detail in the episode titled ‘Poking the Bear’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Fear Thy Neighbor.’ It also features exclusive interviews with the family and friends of the victim and the officials connected to the investigation.
Raul Carbajal Was Found Dead in the Driveway of His Residence
Born on May 28, 1980, Raul “Opei” Carbajal was a resident of Perris, California, who had much to look forward to in his life. But the 37-year-old man’s life was suddenly cut short. Just a couple of weeks before his 38th birthday, on May 4, 2018, his neighbors called 911 just after noon. They reported an instance of gun violence in the neighborhood with a victim severely shot. When the police and paramedics rushed to the scene, they found a body on the floor of an open garage at 1400 Sweet Bay Drive near Nuevo Road.
They identified the body to be of Raul Carbajal, who was pronounced dead at the scene just a few minutes later. Upon further inspection of the body, the investigators discovered that the 37-year-old man had suffered multiple gunshot wounds across his body, resulting in his tragic demise. They taped the crime scene and collected all the clues and evidence they could find near the body and his property, where the shooting occurred.
Years-Long Neighborly Dispute Turned Out to be Deadly For Raul Carbajal
While the detectives were conducting the investigation, several witnesses in the neighborhood claimed that Raul Carbajal was shot to death by one of his neighbors. They told the authorities that it was likely the result of an ongoing feud between him and his neighbor, Alexander “Alex” Richard Aguayo. The two men and their families had reportedly been acting hostile toward one another for “at least the last two years.” Although the officers knew the suspect’s residence, they couldn’t interrogate him as he had fled the area before the police arrived on the scene. Moreover, the witnesses described Alex’s vehicle to help the investigators apprehend him.
The entire incident began on the afternoon of May 4, 2018, when Alex was leaving his house near Nuevo Road. He noticed Raul cleaning his vehicle in the driveway next to his with an industrial vacuum cleaner. According to the surveillance footage, Alex had carried a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun with him in his vehicle while leaving. Upon returning from his trip to a Del Taco, the sight and sound of his neighbor still using the loud vacuum cleaner enraged him to the point that he decided to confront him about it. In the security footage, Alex could be seen saying something to Raul while looking over the wall that separated their driveways.
On the other hand, Raul was busy cleaning his car but kept talking back to the suspect in an aggressive manner. This went on for several minutes before things got heated further. Soon, Raul reportedly swung his vacuum hose and hit Alex on his upper body. However, the latter managed to grab hold of the hose and take control of it. With his other hand, he pulled out his handgun and started firing at Raul, who got hit despite trying to retreat and get inside his garage. Alex even jumped over the wall and fired all the rounds at him. A total of fourteen shots struck Raul. Right after that, Alex drove away from the neighborhood, only stopping to dispose of the murder weapon into a storm drain. In pursuit of the prime suspect, the police spotted him a few blocks away.
Not long after, patrol units halted and arrested Alex without a struggle on Perris Boulevard. Besides murder, he was further charged with the possession of an assault rifle, carrying a loaded firearm in public, and felony discharge of a firearm resulting in great bodily injury. Alex was held up at Cois M. Byrd Detention Center, with the bail for release set at $1 million. As the detectives interrogated him, he confessed to fatally shooting his neighbor and even told them the location of the handgun he used to do the killing. When he learned that Raul was dead, Alex responded, “Well, at least he won’t mess with my family again.” The investigators also obtained a search warrant for the accused’s residence, where they found an unregistered high-capacity rifle and numerous 30-round magazines.
Alex Aguayo is Behind Bars at a California State Prison Awaiting Parole
More than three years after the murder of Raul Carbajal, Alexander Richard Aguayo stood on trial for the same in September 2021. After hearing both the arguments of the prosecution and the defense, the jury came to a decision and convicted him of first-degree murder for the shooting death of 37-year-old Raul Carbajal. Apart from the murder count, he was also found guilty of the rest of the charges against him. On October 22, 2021, Alex was sentenced to 53 years to life in prison. At present, the 46-year-old inmate is serving his sentence at Wasco State Prison at 701 Scofield Avenue in Wasco, California, with his parole eligibility date scheduled for May 2038.
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