A horrific and stomach-turning act of violence against one of Oxnard's most vulnerable residents has finally concluded in juvenile court, exposing the disturbing depravity of two local teens. On Friday, June 26, 2026, Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that a 16-year-old juvenile was found guilty of willful, deliberate, and premeditated first-degree murder.
The teen was just 14 years old in June 2025 when he and an accomplice launched a savage, fatal assault on Davy Glen Pichel while he slept outside a church entrance.
The details of the murder are absolutely monstrous. On June 5, 2025, a church volunteer discovered Mr. Pichel's body near the side entrance of St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Oxnard. He had sustained catastrophic injuries to his head and face and was left partially unclothed next to his wheelchair. Church security cameras captured the entire nightmare on video, showing the two 14-year-old boys approach Mr. Pichel and systematically beat and stomped him.
Proving the premeditated and cruel nature of the crime, the footage showed the minors repeatedly walking away from the bleeding victim, only to return multiple times to continue the vicious assault.
The first teen previously pled guilty to first-degree murder back in January 2026 and was handed down a maximum seven-year sentence. The second teen, convicted on Friday, is scheduled to face his formal sentencing on July 13, 2026, at the Juvenile Justice Center in Oxnard.
**THE QUICK BREAKDOWN
- The Verdict: A 16-year-old minor was found guilty of premeditated first-degree murder for a fatal 2025 beating.
- The Victim: Davy Glen Pichel, a vulnerable community member who used a wheelchair and was sleeping outside an Oxnard church.
- The Video Evidence: St. Anthony's Catholic Church security footage caught the two teens beating and stomping the victim, leaving, and returning multiple times to keep assaulting him.
- The Accomplice: A second 14-year-old suspect previously pled guilty in January 2026 and received a seven-year sentence.
- The Pathetic Maximum: Due to lenient California juvenile laws, the killer faces a maximum base term of just 7 years in a Secured Youth Treatment Facility, with the court losing all jurisdiction once he turns 25.
Davy Glen Pichel was a defenseless, wheelchair-bound man who sought refuge on church steps, only to be stomped to death by a pair of teenage monsters who treated his life like a game.
Deputy District Attorney Juliet Buff rightfully called this an exceptionally brutal and senseless attack, but the "justice" handed down by the state is an absolute joke.
Because of soft-on-crime California statutes, a teenager who commits a premeditated, depraved murder can only be held until they are 25 years old. No matter how brutal the crime, this killer will walk away with a maximum of seven years in a youth treatment facility, meaning he will be completely free to roam our streets as a young adult. It is a disgusting insult to the memory of Mr. Pichel and a terrifying reality for the residents of Oxnard.
If a minor is old enough to execute a multi-phase, premeditated murder, they should be old enough to serve a real life sentence behind bars.