Man charged with murdering two Corona moviegoers to stand trial

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - On September 2, a man charged for murdering two Corona moviegoers in 2021 was ordered by a Superior Court judge to stand trial.

In a press release, Joseph Jimenez of El Cerrito is charged with the murders of Rylee Goodrich and Anthony Barajas of Corona.

On July 26, 2021, Goodrich and Barajas attended the 9:35 p.m. showing of a movie at theater in Corona. After the movie ended, theater employees went to clean the auditorium and made the horrific discovery that the two victims had been shot in the head.

18-year-old Goodrich was pronounced dead at the scene while 19-year-old Barajas was taken to a nearby hospital where he later died.

Jimenez was identified as the shooter and was arrested the next day at a residence in El Cerrito, an unincorporated area outside the city limits of Corona.

Following the testimony at a preliminary hearing at the Hall of Justice, Riverside County Judge Bernard Schwartz found sufficient evidence for Jimenez to stand trial on all counts.

So far, the District Attorney (DA)'s office has charged Jimenez with two counts of murder with a sentencing enhancement of personal use of a firearm causing death.

Not only that, The DA's office has filed special circumstance allegations of lying-in-wait and multiple murders. With these special circumstance allegations, these make Jimenez eligible for the death penalty.

However, DA Mike Hestrin will make the decision to seek the death penalty at a later date.

The next court date for Jimenez is an information arraignment on October 22, 2022.