A San Gabriel man was found guilty Friday, March 15 of the murder of a firefighter from West Covina whose body was found burning near a roadside in Upland in 2019.
The jury at the Pomona Courthouse deliberated for about two days before finding 41-year-old Shaun Cardarelli guilty of 1st degree murder and conspiracy to commit an arson in the death of 28-year-old John Brian Mananghaya Aguila, who went missing while on his way to work as a part-time Bureau of Land Management firefighter.
Cardarelli was the final suspect out of three accused of orchestrating the ambush-style robbery and killing of Aguila, who was last seen leaving his home in West Covina on Aug. 22, 2019 on his way to BLM’s office in La Puente.
The next day, firefighters were called to a brushfire that broke out near Mountain and Euclid avenues at around 3:30 a.m. There, they found Aguila’s charred body among the flames.
Two days after that, authorities found Aguila’s Honda Civic abandoned in San Dimas, and evidence of a killing inside the car’s trunk: Gloves and a large amount of blood. Police later obtained surveillance-camera footage showing a man, who was not Aguila, parking the Civic and walking away.
The discoveries led West Covina police to an apartment in La Verne where they arrested three people inside, including Cardarelli.
The other two men there were 31-year-old Davone Smith and 23-year-old Elijah Thomas Rouse. Both took plea deals for their part in Aguila’s murder.
Rouse pleaded guilty to one count of murder and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Feb. 16 during a hearing that turned emotional when Aguila’s family gave statements detailing how Aguila’s death had left them grieving. Several family members request Rouse be given the death penalty.
“There is a deep pain in our family, emotionally and mentally,” said Aguila’s father, Ernesto. “There are no more holidays, no more birthdays, just memories, memories of John.”
Smith pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact, conspiracy to commit a crime and recklessly causing a forest fire. He has not been sentenced yet, according to court records.
Cardarelli is expected to be sentenced on Monday, March 19.
